Piercing the Vale
by Vlad509
Summary: Shade Academy created a team that does not exist, and is in no way affiliated with Vacuo or Shade Academy. In Vacuo, life is never certain, and life is never easy. And with the CCT down, and the world at the brink of war, this team is more vital than ever. And here is there story. Completed, but a sequel to arrive soon.
1. Lengthening Shadows

Alberta sat staring out the window. She had been for some time. Her teammates had all drifted off somewhere, no doubt studying in the library or training in the gym. But Alberta was eagerly awaiting the arrival of several airships. She fiddled with the wilds strands of her hair that insisted on falling across her face. She blinked her red eyes, and sank back away from the window, and into a large blush chair.

Being an albino certainly made her stand out. And at her height, that was saying something. At barely five feet tall, she was the shortest on her team, and one of the shortest students at Shade academy. She closed her eyes, and thought of home. It was a rough small town, and its dust mine wasn't as prosperous as it had been in times past, but it was home. Abandoned buildings and mining equipment laying at the edge of the settlement reminded everyone of Vacuo's past. It was said that some of the buildings dated back to the Great War.

Even now, many years later, those brave enough to travel to the ancient battleground still turned over weapons, armor, and even bones. Alberta wondered what it must have been like to live in those days. Even as harsh as Vacuo was today, there was peace, there were the CCT towers. At least until a few days ago. What an uncertain time to live in, with the kingdoms against each other, the Grimm swarming and overrunning villages and settlements left and right. But then, perhaps, they were facing very similar days even now.

Alberta's day dream was interrupted by the faint sound of approaching airships. She shot out of the chair and looked out the open window. Several airships were landing on the pads near the main courtyard. Students from Vacuo trailed out of them, looking tired and worried. Teachers and the schools security quickly herded them off into the main building. They all looked deathly worried.

The courtyard was unusually empty. The ebony arches and columns seemed menacing in the now fading light. The Gryphon statues perched above stared down with frighting intensity. Once, very late, Alberta had sneaked out with her team to prank one of their teachers houses. Unfortunately, a patrolling hunter spotted them. In the haste to get away, Alberta had gotten separated. She found herself in the courtyard. She was almost entirely sure that one of the statues had moved. She did not sneak out anymore.

On one of the benches, a girl with long blonde hair was polishing her weapon. The massive chain sword was as ornate was it was deadly, with a golden eagle at the hilt. Alberta had seen it in action, and never wanted to be on the other end of it. Penthesilea Cupric seemed to tower over her. Even sitting, Alberta felt very small. Both had enrolled in Shade at the same time, and as fate would have it, became interested in the same boy. In another twist of fate, the boy had ended up on Alberta's team. However, the boy turned both of them down, and that had gotten over it. They still weren't really friend.

Penta, her preferred name, because who wants to say Penthesilea, just nodded as Alberta walked past. Alberta gave a little wave and walked on. Penta and her team had been out on a mission when the Vacuo teams had left for the Vytal Festival, and arrived back not many days ago. The mission had been a routine Grimm purging mission, and been uneventful. Penta and her team were one of the best second year teams, and Alberta wondered why they hadn't been given the chance to go to the Vytal Festival.

Thinking of the festival used to be a pleasant thing for Alberta. Ever since she was a little, much littler than she was even now, she had loved watching it. It was the highlight of her year. When she had been five years old, the team of hunters and huntresses protecting their village had changed. And with it came a huntress that inspired her. It had been her that had set her on this path. And for one reason or another, the stern and Amazonian huntress had taken a liking to the puny albino girl.

And that year, she watched the festival with the huntress. It had been a marvelous year for Vacuo, one of the few. And it had been the best few days of that girl's life. But now, after a couple years, she had been unable to attend. She was so desperately looking forward to it. The first year, the headmaster had told her there wasn't enough room, as the older teams were given priority. This year, the team had been on disciplinary probation, though not related to the sneaking out incident. Alberta wasn't even involved, but a team rises and falls together.

Vacuo had done very poorly this year. Its best teams had been eliminated in the four v. four matches. It had been a little painful to watch. Alberta had rooted so hard, especially for her favorite Team NDGO. And it had been for nought. The other kingdoms seem to play really hard. It had certainly got interesting. So interesting apparently the feeds had been cut twice, and they never came back on the second time. And then the CCT systems went down.

Alberta crashed into someone, and staggered back. A girl in a black uniform, with flaming red hair falling down her back, and a hard faced, traced by several scars, turned and gave the albino a very evil look.

"Watch where your going!" Her fox ears twitched. "What are you doing anyway."

"Sorry, sorry, I was thinking about the Vytal festival, and how team NDGO lost, and the feeds getting cut, and that cray girl with the blonde hair..." The girl turned back to the wall, ignoring the verbal vomit spewing from the shorter girl.

"I think the festival is a waste of time, and I don't watch it, but I heard the results of the fights were rather shocking."

"Really? That's kind of funny."

"Why?"

"Well, at the end of the fight, between Team NDGO and SSSN...nevermind." The other girl's ears twitched again. "I'm sorry to bother you, good bye."

"You're a real nuisance." Alberta just nodded and hurriedly walked away. It took her a little bit to remember what her name was, but her reputation preceded her. Ochre Vulpes was a legend at Shade. As mysterious as she was ruthless, there were many rumors surrounding her. At one point, there was a rumor she had eaten her teammates. Or perhaps she ate chickens raw. Both of these were probably propagated by anti-faunus rabble-rousers.

What was probably true was that she was one of the huntresses to attend Shade. She had an abnormal hatred for Grimm that defied rationality, and she could count the times she had lost a fight on one hand. This fox faunus was not someone you wanted as an enemy. She had purposely gotten herself disqualified from attending the Vytal Festival by attacking a teacher. Her comings and goings were quite mysterious. Rumor was she went out an slaughtered Grimm, with a savagery cowered even the demons themselves.

Why she was standing there, staring at the relief on the wall surrounding the main school building was anyone's guess. On it, the king of Vale was pictured, laying waste to the armies of Mistral and Mantle. Corpses were piled at his feet, his sword raised high, his crown upon his head, and his cape swirling around him. The powerful forces of northern and eastern kingdom might have brought down Vacuo and enslaved it, but he had saved them. And everyone who lived in this harsh owed their freedom to the King.

The albino wandered along, her path seemingly aimless, but drawing her closer and closer to the CCT Tower, ensconced in the center of Shade Academy. Another relief depicted hunters and huntresses locked in mortal combat with Grimm. A huntress tries to hold off a King Taijitu in one hand, one head beneath her foot, a sickle shaped blade pulled back in one hand. A hunter tries too hold off a Deathstalker, the glowing stinger stuck in the shield, the tip piercing through, the hunter trying to find a weak spot with his lance. And many more, all along the walls, a constant reminder of the path those who walk here have chosen.

Over the top of the entrance to the CCT tower a Nevermore keeps watch. Multiple eyes of red rock glitter in the light from multiple lamps and spotlights. The sculpter had managed to capture the primal power of the beast, the grace of its wings, the cruelness of its talons, the total combination of evil and awe. Alberta dropped her eyes from the beasts, and entered the tower.

The lower floor was mostly empty, with only a student here and there. Several guard robots paced about, old Atlas designs that had been modified and "Vacuo-fied." In Vacuo, there was no junk, just material you hadn't repurposed yet. She entered the elevator and punched the number for the top floor, the communication room. The elevator creaked to the top of the tower. It may not have been as sleek as those in Atlas or Vale, but it had character. The older design had a feel of home and comfort, instead of being sterile and pragmatic.

The top floor was deserted at first glance. Alberta walked up to the desk at the front, but no one was there. The lights were on, but most of the terminals were shut down. She noticed a young man laying underneath one of the banks of terminals.

"Excuse me?" The young man started, smacking his head on the bottom of the table.

"Ouch. Wow, that really hurt."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay. I didn't expect anyone to be up here. I was just doing some maintenance on some of these terminals, while the CCT was down."

"I was wondering if it would be possible call my home, Dust Ridge Mine?"

"Sorry Miss, with the CCT down, even parts of Vacuo are out of contact. Some of our shorter range methods are in disrepair, due to Grimm and bandit attacks."

"Oh, okay."

"But don't worry. The CCT is very important. I am sure that Vale is working very hard to fix their tower, and get things started again."

"I wish I could be as optimistic as you."

"Look, if communication to Dust Ridge opens up, I'll let you know. Let me make a note on my scroll." Alberta gave her her name, so he could send her a message if anything changed. She wasn't too hopeful. Dust Ridge Mine was in good hands, and a relatively peaceful area. She boarded the elevator and headed downstairs. On the way, she received a message on her scroll. It was from one Tobias Cairn Terrier, one of the professors, well liked, though quirky. He wanted her to head to room A17, a room in the main administration building. Students weren't allowed in many of the rooms in the administration building.

She hurried off. Professor Terrier a seemed especially urgent in his request. A couple hunters waited by the door, but they gave her no mind. She noticed Team INGO leaving, talking among themselves in hushed worried tones. Alberta wanted to stop and talk to them, but didn't want to keep the Professor waiting.

Penta was outside the room, about to enter, when Alberta arrived. "You get a mysterious message too?" the blonde girl asked.

"Yes, it sounded urgent. I've never been in this part of the school before."

"Me neither. I guess we better go in." The two girls entered, and found Professor Terrier, his mane of black hair unkempt, a cigar in his mouth, smoke drifting lazily from it. In the center of the room was a holographic map of Remnant, with terrain and cities of light floating above the surface. A variety of icons were scattered across it. It reminded Alberta of a very popular board game, but even cooler.

Most interesting though was Ochre, leaning over the map, her hands flitting among the incorporeal markers, mumbling to herself. City a short distance away was a young man, with black hair, and abnormal violet eyes. He was absentmindedly flipping a silver knife in his hand. A couple large pistols hung from shoulder holsters. Both of the younger occupants were dressed in plain black body suits. Professor Terrier looked up.

"Ah, you both made it. Now, we can begin in earnest."

"These are the chosen candidates then?" Ochre voice was not exactly hostile, but it wasn't friendly either. Just very suspicious.

"Yes, they meet all the necessary requirements. They have never attended a Vytal festival, they are second years, have shown themselves to be quite capable."

"I trust you have not made a mistake."

"I know you are experienced Ochre, but you would do well to remember I am still your superior."

"Of course. I trust you have not made a mistake, sir," Ochre added with emphasis.

"Relax Vulpes, You know Professor Terrier has good judgment. I just got their profiles on my scroll." The boy that had not spoken yet joined the conversation. His voice was quiet, yet firm. "Welcome to the team, Miss Puntali, Miss Cupric. My name is Argent Viperad'ombre, but please, just call me Argent."

"May I ask a question?"

"Of course Miss Cupric," the professor answered.

"Which team are we being welcomed to?"

"A good question indeed. There is no name. Allow me to add some exposition. This non-existent team was formed many years ago, not long after the founding of Shade Academy, in the aftermath of the great war. Its purpose is to protect Vacuo from threats, to keep an eye on the other kingdoms, to undertake missions where Vacuo and Shade Academy cannot be involved. Here, in Vacuo, we are the source of order. Vacuo's council has no power except what we give it. We don't have the might of Atlas, the resources of Minstral, the manpower of Vale, we have to ensure our safety through other means."

"Don't you trust the other headmasters? I don't think any of the kingdoms want another war."

"Alberta, our world is far from perfect. It is fraught with dangers. The frightening thing is not that the other Kingdoms are more powerful, the frightening thing is that they aren't the major threat. There are Grimm, and even worse things. More cunning forces at work. We must take whatever measures are necessary to ensure our safety. And the best way is with information."

"So, I am guessing this meeting is about the recent festival?" asked Penta.

"Yes. After talking with all the students at the festival, I have come to several conclusions. First, none of the kingdoms, at least the main leadership, is responsible. Second, they have all been compromised. Atlas's robot forces were hijacked during the attack. At one point, they were attacking everyone, but Ironwood helped fight off the attack."

"So, it was an attack." confirmed Penta.

"Yes. Grimm, the White Fang, chaos really. Thirdly, we don't really know what forces are at work. We need information. And we need to get it, without tipping off anyone that may be colluding with the enemy. You asked if I trusted the other kingdoms Miss Puntali? In these times, trust no one, not even yourself."

"And because the other former members of the team may be recognized in Vale, we had to bring in two green members, for a very important mission." Ochre sighed, and her fox ears twitched again, never a good sign.

"Actually, I am originally from Vale," added Penta.

"I know." Professor Terrier pushed up his glasses. "But your family left several years ago, before you really began your proper huntress training. And, we need someone who knows a little about the city lay out. I know some things may have changed, but in general, you know how the city is organized."

"I hope I remember it right."

"It will come back when you return, and, if all else fails, we have a map." Once again, the boy's voice broke into the conversation. Considering Ochre's volatility, Argent's calming influence no doubt kept her in check. Penta nodded, and Argent returned a small smile.

"The details of your mission. Get in and out as quickly and quietly as possible. We have no communication with Vale, obviously, but expect plenty of security, robots and hunters. There are likely a lot of Grimm still around. You are going to fly in, aboard a Schnee Airship we borrowed, permanently. Shouldn't raise suspicion. Once there, you will meet with an agent already in Vale. He lives at this address. It will be marked on the maps which will be transferred to your scrolls, along with all the pertinent information." Terrier pulled up a map of Vale on the holo-table, and pointed out locations of interest. Once there, he will give you the information, or tell you how to acquire it. Do so, and then leave, on the same airship."

"That's all?" asked Alberta.

"Isn't that enough?" Ochre responded. "Things always get more complicated. This could go wrong in so many ways. You better be at your best."

"Ochre, please ensure that our two newest members have the right uniforms. You can't go in your normal huntress clothes. You will have to find ways to make your weapons more stealthy, at least while not using them. Argent, you can check on the airship. The pilots should be ready soon. There are special containers in the back for you to store your gear, and if necessary, hide in. Also, as a final effort to ensure you remain anonymous, there are White Fang masks provided. If you are forced to fight, you will just be more terrorists."

"But, I'm not a faunus," commented Alberta. Ochre just sighed.

"Not all faunus features are apparent at first, especially in a fight. The most noticeable thing will be the mask." Ochre seemed really exasperated. Patience was not one of her strong points.

"I have some fake fox ears in my room of you want. There from when I dressed up as Ochre..."

"I told you to never mention that again." The other two girls giggled a little. Ochre may have been angry, but it was comical the way she reacted, and the thought of Argent trying to look like Ochre was humorous. "And stop laughing."

"Ochre, I'm sorry, I did not promise not to bring it up. It was a little insensitive of me. But please, give the new girls a break. They understand the seriousness of this, but a little fun never hurt anyone."

"Fine. But we have work to do."

"Indeed you do. You leave tonight. I would suggest you make your preparations. Good luck, you will need it." The Professor removed his cigar and snuffed it out on the table. "Well, get moving." The for nodded, and left the room.

Ochre helped the other two girls find black suits tat would fit them. Penta found a long black bag that would conceal her sword. It could be strapped to her back for carrying. Alberta's gauntlets could be easily concealed in their collapsed form under her sleeves. Penta made sure she had a good amount of her favorite earth dust rounds. The other two weren't sure at first what weapons Ochre had. She did slide numerous vials of dust in belts and straps on her uniform.

Meanwhile, Argent found the airship. Two pilots were doing their final inspections. It was a little old, but still clearly bore the logo of the Schnee Dust Company. Inside, there was a few improvised seats of netting. There were many containers for storing dust in its various forms, and for chests, similar to weapons lockers, but without the rockets. One could comfortably fit inside with their weapon and ammunition. There were some rations, as well as a substantial amount of cash.

Alberta found herself staring thoughtfully at the fountain in the courtyard. She found herself staring thoughtfully a lot. The four Beowolves stood back to back, with four Gryphons on their shoulders, with Nevermores on theirs. Water poured out the Gryphon's mouths and into the pool below. This whole thing seemed crazy. The world was so vast, and it seemed like it jut kept opening up, becoming more vast, but not like an open sky, but like a great chasm.

"I've never seen Nevermores that small before." Alberta gave a start as Penta walked up behind her.

"I guess the artist took some liberties. But, I think there may be some Nevermores that small, they just aren't much of a challenge.

"I suppose. How is Cobalt?"

"Obsessed with training and causing problems."

"Well, I'm glad we got that behind us. This team will have enough trouble working together."

"I know. Ochre terrifies me."

"Is she the leader? I think she is a little off her rocker."

"I think she is just a psychopath, with anger management issues."

"Your too kind. If you had lived my life, you would be off your rocker too." Ochre slipped out of the darkness behind them. "Did you remember to pack generic civilian clothes as well?" Both of the other girls nodded. "Good. I looked at your files, and I am impressed. You may be tolerable after all. One thing though, I hate repeating myself. When I say jump, you say, off which cliff, got it.?" They nodded again. "Alright then. You can relax. I save my fury for the Grimm, and I don't bite...much."

"Vulpes, now that your done scaring the new recruits, can we get going? The ship is ready." Argent walked up. "Ready to go, Miss Puntali, Miss Cupric?"

"Yes, but you can use my first name, Alberta. I don't think teammates need to be so formal."

"And you can call me Penta. I know my full first name is a little long."

"Don't bother. He calls everyone by their last name. That is his quirk, and mine is being rude and blunt. Let's go." And Ochre walked off towards the airship.

Inside, the four settled into the nets. They were kind of comfortable, like a hammock that was breathable. Really, really, breathable. During the flight to Vale, the four slept. Alberta wondered what it was like in the other kingdoms. She was finally able to visit another kingdom, but she wished it was under better circumstances. She fell asleep, dreaming of what the metropolis of Vale would be like.


	2. Hiding In Shadows

Chapter 2 Hiding in Shadows

"Hey, Alberta, wake up. We have arrived." Alberta opened her eyes. They managed to focus on Penta's face.

"Okay. Those nets were surprisingly comfortable. So, your back home, huh?"

"I guess, but its been so long, I don't really consider it home." Alberta got up. She noticed Ochre and Argent talking hushed tones near the cockpit. Ochre nodded, and then turned to the other too.

"Get in your special cases. We will be loaded into one of the warehouses. Wait until I will open the containers. There are some rooms into the warehouse for us to change into street clothes, and even shower. I hope none of you are claustrophobic." Alberta gulped a little. Argent reached over and opened one of the special crates.

"You'll be fine Puntali. Just try not to imagine the walls closing in."

"I thought you were the nice one!" Alberta joked, as she put her leg into the crate.

"I am." Alberta climbed in, and sank into the crate. Argent closed the crate, and everything went dark. And all she could think about was the walls closing in. She took a deep breath, and listened for a moment. The container blocked most of the sound. Which would hide most sounds she might make while inside. She pulled out her scroll, and opened the map of Vale. The city of Vale was much larger than the city that surrounded Shade Academy.

When Alberta had moved from Dust Ridge Mine to enroll in Shade Academy, she had thought the city around it to be a huge metropolis. The more she learned about the other kingdoms, the more she realized how small it really was. It was exciting to finally go to Vale. Of all the kingdoms, it was Vale she wanted to visit most. She just wished it had been under better circumstances. The world seemed to be going mad.

Inside a crate nearby, Ochre was having a hard time. She had been the last one to climb in by design. No need for her team to see her struggle. She was pretty sure Argent knew, but he was too kind to let on. She wasn't claustrophobic in the traditional sense, but being in a crate terrified her. With great effort, she forced herself into the crate, and let the lid drop from above. As an extra precaution, these special crates could all be locked and opened from inside. But it was a small comfort for the faunus.

Her own fears enveloped her much like the enclosing darkness of the container. For several minutes, she tried to control her breathing. Using techniques from extensive martial training, she managed to calm herself. This wasn't the first time she had used these crates, but every time was a challenge. She dared not tell Professor Terrier, or he might remove her from this team. Even with her physical reaction under control, she could not escape the memories.

The hot sun bore down on the trail of vehicles. The large land trucks, mixed with wagons pulled by camels pushed ahead in a long slow snake. Colorful streamers trailed from exhaust stacks, and anywhere else they could be attached. Some flew from pikes and other pole-arms mounted in the sides of the trucks and wagons. One of the trucks was covered in metal wares of all sorts, tools, pot and pans, weapons. Another had guns and firearms of all sorts, as well as dust in all forms, rounds, explosives, crystalline and powered. It was best not to ask how all of it was acquired.

There were a good many carts with animals of all sorts in cages. People of all sorts clambered and rode on the variety of vehicles. Most of them were faunus, but there were some humans among them. On the back of one of the wagons, a faunus with a lizard tail was throwing knives at a rotating target. On another, a young woman was practicing with some cards, as her father watched on and gave her pointers. In the back of one particularly large truck, slowly trundling over the sand dunes, belching smoke, a young fox faunus was feeding animals.

"There you go, and there you go," Ochre chanted as she dropped handfuls of food into the cages for the variety of rodents, mostly rabbits. She knew that when they reached the next town, many would be sold as pets. At least, hopefully for her family, they would be. Despite efforts to keep their daughter from becoming to attached to the merchandise, Ochre always fell in love with some of them, only to watch them be sold to strangers.

"Hello Miss Vulpes, how are the animals today?" Another faunus, in a colorful, if not flamboyant suit of clothes climbed in from the top of the truck. A ringed tailed swished behind him.

"They are doing fine." She turned to one of the cages and rubbed a small rabbit on the head. "Hey there, did you like your food, did you? This one is the cutest one, don't you think?"

"Now, Ochre, you know, you can't keep any of them."

"Mom and Dad said someday, maybe I could. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, just checking on my special pets."

"Can I see them? They are always hidden in that special room."

"I know. It is because they are very dangerous. And very secret."

"Can I see them? Please?"

"Now, most people have to pay to see them. Why should you see them for free?"

"Because you and my parents share this truck, and because I am so adorable."

"Oh, is that right? And you think you will always be adorable?"

"Of course. Don't you see my cute little ears?"

"Which ones?"

"Don't tease me. Can I please see the special animals?"

"It could be scary."

"I can be very brave."

"Alright. Come here, and I will show you." The raccoon faunus unlocked a door and let Ochre into a small room. Inside, there were a couple cages, both of which had black tarps over them. The man pulled away the cloth over a domed cage, much like most bird cages. Inside, a large bird was perched. It had black feathers, with a white mask of bone over its head, multiple red eyes dotting it.

"Is that, a Nevermore?"

"Is it?" The man reached into his pocket and dropped some bird seed into a container on the side of the cage. The bird let out a caw, and began devouring the bird seed. Ochre looked up in confusion.

"That isn't a Grimm."

"Of course not. You can't keep a Grimm in captivity. But the people in the next town, they don't know that."

"But...that doesn't seem right."

"There are a lot of things not right in the world." He replaced the tarp over the cage. "Do you want to see my Urse cub?" Ochre was not sure if she wanted to or not, but before she could answer, her father entered the back of the truck. He was breathing hard. He had been back with the Vulpes personal wagon.

"Ochre, come with me, right away." He turned to the other faunus. "I don't know of I appreciate you showing my daughter your cheap tricks, but we have a bigger matter at hand." The raccoon faunus was going to make a smart remark, but his face changed, and he bit it back. The look on Redmond Vulpes face was far to serious for such remarks.

"What's wrong?"

"Ursa, a lot of them, coming this way. The entire caravan is on alert. This one looks pretty serious." The other faunus just nodded, and the two hurriedly exited the truck. Mr. Vulpes did not answer Ochre's questions, but pulled her along. She could tell her father was very worried, and it made her very worried.

Grimm attacks were nothing new. Almost every vehicle in the caravan had a mounted weapon of some kind. Pretty much everyone was armed to one degree or another, and there was even a couple trained hunters among them. But nothing is a guarantee in Vacuo. They arrived at the Vulpes wagon in short order.

It had been Ochre's home for as long as she could remember. Maybe it wasn't the nicest of homes, but it was by no means shabby. It was cozy, a homey place in the midst of the wide dangerous world. And Ochre had the whole of the caravan as her playground. There were plenty of friends among both the adults and children of the group, and they were all equals, a small ideal microcosm, making there way in the world.

Mrs. Vulpes was sitting on the wagon seat, loading an older rifle with dust rounds. Her parents whispered to each other, then kissed. Her father pulled her to the back, and pushed her into the wagon's interior. A sword hung on his belt, solid, but not useful against most Grimm. He picked up a crossbow hanging near the back of the wagon. He placed an explosive dust bolt on it, and cocked the weapon.

"Stay here, and stay quiet, until me or mama come and get you." Ochre nodded. She had done this before, when there had been Grimm attacks in the past. "Remember, I love you." And he was gone. Ochre sank to the floor, leaning up against a thick blanket draped over a trunk.

The familiar sounds of a Grimm attack filtered through the thin wagon walls. The blankets and tapestries on the walls couldn't muffle the gunfire and roars of Grimm. Then more screams pierced the night. She hadn't heard those very often. The battle rose in pitch and fury, and Ochre slid to the floor, wrapping a blanket around her head, trying to block out the noise. It had never been this bad before.

"Ochre!" She looked up, and saw her father standing in the back of the wagon. He climbed in, and embraced his daughter. She sank into his arms, sobbing. "You need to hide." He pulled away the blanket and opened the trunk beneath. He pulled out most of the clothes and pillows inside. " Get in, and don't come out until I get you." He helped Ochre in, placed a kiss on her forehead, and shut the lid. It was an old trunk, and if necessary, the hinges would break under even a child's kick.

He picked up his crossbow, slid the last bolt in place, and left the wagon. Ochre sank against the clothes inside, her tears flowing freely. The clothes smelled of her mother, and for a moment, she took comfort in that. Then the trunk began to move. The whole wagon must have been rocking. It tipped over. The trunk tumbled. Ochre could hear wood cracking. There were roars, the shrieks of camels, more gunfire. A large thud shook the ground nearby.

Ochre struggled not to scream. She could hear heavy breathing. Something bumped into the trunk. Then it hit the trunk. The blow crashed into the side of the trunk and sent it tumbling. It landed with the lid down. Ochre began to panic, thrashing against the clothes and the oaken box. The fear of being smothered and crushed welled up. Something crashed into the box again, and it landed right side up again. The lock was broken, a thin line of light shone around the edge.

Something pawed at the lid, and the wood began to crack, and there was a loud retort, and whatever was messing with the lid was gone. A few grunts and yelps later, and there was a momentary silence. Then the lid lifted, and a grizzled bearded face looked down into a fearful tear-stained one. A hunter Ochre didn't recognize stood there, a large double barreled gun in one hand. She instantly felt safer, and grasped his outstretched hand.

As she rose from the trunk, she looked down, and began to shake. A woman, a faunus she knew from the caravan, lay in the wreckage of her wagon, massive claw marks across her chest. Her arms and legs were splayed unnaturally. Ochre froze, her will to move sucked away. The hunter pulled her under his duster, shielding her from the chaos. Ochre, though horrified, didn't want to be hidden away again. She looked around.

A huntress leaped up, driving a spear into a Deathstalker. It bucked wildly, its tail trying to hit the huntress. She leaped away, taking the top half of her spear with her. It transformed into a large pistol, which looked like an old dueling pistol. She fell in front of the Grimm, but instead of running away, she slid underneath, avoiding a desperate jab by the tail. She put the pistol up against the creatures underbelly, and fired. The Deathstalker jerked back and began thrashing in the throes of death.

The hunter above her gasped as a Nevermore flew overhead, sending barbed feathers raining down. The feathers bounced off the hunter's aura. It was a smaller Nevermore, about the size of the average dog. The hunter let out a growl and pointed his gun skyward, and let loose both barrels. The Nevermore shrieked, and then rolled over and began spiraling towards the earth. Boom, boom, boom, went the shotgun.

Ochre jerked back to reality from the nightmare. The knocking on the lid of the container stopped. She took a deep breath and released the lid. She stepped out, glad to be free from the crate. She had made it through the nightmare again. She glanced around. One of the pilots was non-nonchalantly walking out of the warehouse. There were crates stacked here and there, and some doors and stairwells around the edges. There were massive rolling doors on either end.

After a few moments, Ochre composed herself and went to let the team out of their crates. She went to Argent's first, and popped the latches. Inside, Argent was reading a history book about hunters and huntresses.

"Were you reading that the whole time, or just now, after hiding Ninjas of Love?"

"I don't read that kind of filth, Miss Vulpes." Argent climbed out of the box and turned off the penlight he had been using to read. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine. Let's just get the others and get out of here."

"Of course. Vulpes, you know, it's okay to confide in others," Argent winked. "Especially someone was handsome as me." Ochre just rolled her eyes and unlatched the next crate. Penta crawled out, her long blonde hair a tangled mess, drool running out of her mouth.

"Hheeyy...Oh, was I asleep? Oh boy, my hair must look terrible."

"Yeah, and you might want to wipe your face."

"Oh gross, I can't believe I started drooling...You said there were showers?"

"Yes, there are some apartments with amenities attached to this hanger. Pilots and crewman use them. Get your gear and head out." Ochre moved to the last crate and opened it up. Inside, Alberta staggered out, and promptly puked on the floor. She at least had the presence of mind not to hit Ochre. "Alberta, you are really starting to annoy. Motion sickness?"

"I think so, but I'm alright flying on airships or most vehicles. I've never been carried around in a crate though." Ochre just shook her head.

"Get your stuff and move. And make sure you clean this up, very thoroughly. We leave on half and hour, in civilian clothes, weapons concealed, to find the inside man. Move it!" The unnamed team hurried off. The apartments were small and sparse, but provided privacy, and the showers were quite nice. Alberta cleaned up her mess, extraordinarily glad she had managed to keep it down while inside.

After the half hour allotted, the four emerged from a side entrance of the warehouses, dressed in very plain outfits, weapons concealed. Penta pulled her long hair back in a pony tail, and managed to conceal her chain sword Gatling gun in a music case. Alberta rather small twin weapons were easily placed in a backpack. Argent's pistols were hidden under a leather jacket, which, when added to his sunglasses, made him look really really cool. He would not have looked out of place in a muscle car.

Ochre was the least normal looking, but, really, many others dressed similarly. A dark hoodie concealed her ears, curly red hair streaming out of the hood. She also wore rather large boots, again, not too uncommon, but not really standard. If she had been here of her own volition, she wouldn't have bothered hiding her faunus traits. The only thing in Vacuo that was ahead of the other kingdoms in was human-faunus relations. And with the White Fang implicated in the recent attack, it wouldn't be any better.

Ochre found it annoying, and foolish, for the two groups to struggle. Even if they didn't like each other, and they didn't have to, they should at least unite to fight the common threat of the Grimm. The internal conflict only gave the Grimm strength. During the Great War, and the Faunus Wars, Grimm attacks had spiked substantially. But politics bored Ochre.

"Come on, let's get some food, and then find our contact."

"Oh good, I was afraid we wouldn't get to eat. I was so hungry after the trip."

"Alberta, that's because your last meal is all over the warehouse floor." the team leader reminded her.

"The last time we ate was supper before we left. Now, it's late into the next day," Penta added. "I think I could eat a horse."

"I'm hungry too. Do you think they have rabbit anywhere? I could go for a rabbit."

"Ochre, I think we may have to settle for a hamburger." Argent pointed to a nice hamburger shop, which had a balcony. The four were soon seated at one of the table, waiting for their order, sipping on drinks. Alberta was fascinated by the amount of traffic. Even with the attack several days previous, the roads were full of vehicles. Vacuo City had limited traffic, and just as many animals as cars. Here, slick trains and masses of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, moved across the metropolis.

"Wow, so many cars."

"First time in a big city huh? Crazy isn't it?"

"And you lived here right?"

"Yeah, but it was quite a while ago. But, I remember a lot, coming back here."

"Speaking of which," interrupted Ochre, "Do you mind looking at this map?"

"Sure. The apartment we are heading to is here, quite a ways across the city. I guess, if the trains run to that part, that would be the easiest way, and pretty inconspicuous. I don't really remember much specifics though, sorry."

"No problem. I saw a sign for a train station. After we eat, we can head there." Argent took a long sip. The girls all nodded. The burgers were delicious, and Ochre had to admit, that while it wasn't quite rabbit, it was pretty tasty. The trains station was pretty easy to find, and soon, they were on there way. As they neared their destination, the train empties out, and many of the people on the train looked more destitute, and many were faunus.

When they got off, it only got worse. This part of the city was lower class, with many apartment buildings, and dilapidated buildings. There were a few businesses, but most were convenience stores, and some tattoo parlors. Squads of robots and some humans, armed to the teeth, patrolled here frequently. There were a scattering of construction projects here and there. The battle must have spilled into this neighborhood as well. No doubt the extensive patrols were due to the proximity to Beacon, and the Grimm within.

The four made there way along, trying to look like the most harmless group of teens possible. The guards largely ignored them. A few teens was nothing compared to the threat they were trained to face. In a few blocks, the four found the right address and climbed up to the fifth floor. Ochre approached the apartment, wary, but stopped and paused just before knocking.

"What's wrong?" asked Argent, in a quite voice, even quieter than normal.

"Nothing. I can't sense anything."

"So, no threats right?"

"Yes, but I can't sense much at all. Be ready, just in case." Argent reached under his jacket and felt the hilt of his silver and black handguns. The cold but fitted handle of Umbra filled his hand. But when Ochre knocked on the door, and just opened. Beyond, the sparse room warranted no observation. An open door lead to a balcony. Wind was whipping long curtains, and beyond, silhouetted in the fading light, was a massive dragon, perched on Beacon's tower.


	3. Moving Shadows

Chapter 3 Moving Shadows

"Oh...that Grimm is huge. I guess we knew why the CCT network is down. How come we didn't see it before?" asked Penta

"Actually, I did see it, back when we were eating. It was obscured by some buildings."

"And you didn't think to tell us?" Alberta looked over at Argent.

"Well, considering your height, you wouldn't have been able to see it anyway."

"Hey!" shot back Alberta indignantly, though, she was definitely on the short side, at under five feet.

"Quiet!" hissed Ochre. The faunus had crept into the room, her body fully alert. She moved silently across the room and out onto the balcony. Her teammates waited near the door as Ochre turned slowly around, scanning the area. And then, the silence was broken with a flurry of action.

Something, well someone, dropped down from above, but before he could do anything, Ochre had sidestepped, grabbed her assailant, and slammed him to the floor. A gun clattered away.

"You better really hope you are our contact," Ochre growled.

"Well, I guess I am then."

"And why did you attack me?"

"I was on the roof, just observing, when you crept out onto my balcony. During these times, one becomes rather paranoid. Sorry, I thought you might be White Fang or something. Could you let me up?"

"Sure. Just don't try anything stupid." Ochre let the man get up. He was a blonde man, with what one might call Nordic features. A hard jawline, a solid looking nose, but a friendly expression. Ochre picked up his gun and followed him into the room. "This is a rather plain weapon. Not a hunter's weapon."

"Of course not. I am under cover. Didn't Professor Terrier brief you?" The man sat down at the table. "You can all come in, and shut the door. Do you mind closing the balcony door. Ochre slammed it shut, and then placed the gun on the table. The rest of the team entered, and found seat in the room. Argent sat at the other chair at the table. Ochre just stood nearby. She did remove her hood though.

"What do we call you?" asked Argent.

"Just call me Auric."

"We were supposed to meet you, and get some information."

"Of course. I expected as much. The attack, it was chaos. Grimm, White Fang, Atlas's own weapons turned against them, and the CCT down. Look, I can give you what I know about the attack, though I wasn't involved directly.

"You didn't help fight? Aren't you a hunter?" asked Alberta.

"I am, but my mission was more important. Look, teams from all over Remnant were here. They didn't need help fighting. Besides, that was never my strong point. I do have...abilities that help me gather information. I could give you substantial information about the attack, but I can do one better, with your help."

"Terrier did say to help you gather more information if necessary."

"Information is the most important part of a war. In a few days, Glynda Goodwitch, the acting headmaster, with Ozpin missing, presumed dead, is planning on retaking much of Beacon, with support from the remaining students and staff, and the Atlesian military. And they will most likely succeed. Though I am sure Grimm will keep swarming as long as the dragon is there. Which I don't know what happened to it either. However, there are, or were, camera's all around beacon. They know what happened to the CCT, and the dragon. Possibly."

"So, you want us to help you get it? How exactly? Maybe all the data was destroyed already." suggested Argent.

"Well, here is the thing. There are servers in the tower, in the lower floors. If they are physically intact, I can get the data. As I said, I am very good with information. During the attack, the Atlas airships and robots went berserk. I suspect a virus. I may be able to gather data on that as well. Trust me, I can get the information, if I can get to the servers."

"I suppose walking in there won't be easy?" questioned Ochre.

"Of course not. First, the border is guarded by hunter teams and robots, and other security measures. Second, the campus is crawling with Grimm. Getting to the campus will be the hard part. Not only are the hunters much smarter, but we don't want to cause too much chaos. Once we get in, you can rip the Grimm apart to your hearts content."

"Excellent." Ochre smiled a little. So, when do we go?"

"Well, it is dark, but a bit late. I suggest you rest here tomorrow, and we go at dark tomorrow."

"Good idea. We need rest, and we need time to strategize. So, do you mind if we crash in your living room?"

"No problem, Miss?"

"Just call me Ochre."

"Oh, and were is your bathroom? I really need to pee." Alberta raised her hand.

"Through there," motioned Auric.

"Alberta, you are a second year right?" Ochre just sighed. "The teammates we keep getting just get worse and worse, don't they Argent?"

"Vulpes, we were young and foolish once too."

Ochre sighed, and her shoulder drooped a little. "I know. For me, that was a long time ago. I'm going to sleep." Ochre dropped onto a rug, curled up, and went to sleep, like a switch had just been flipped.

Hours later, about midday the next day, the four members of the unnamed team were sitting around a table, a flat screen in the center. Argent looked thoughtfully over the map. His eyes traced the various buildings, the routes of attack, anything of use. Puntali and Cupric sat quietly. Puntali was drinking tea, looking rather tired, but that could just be her abnormal eye color. Cupric was eating donuts, unapologetically, and looked relaxed. She was tall, noticeably so, the tallest of the four.

It was Vulpes that Argent found most interesting to observe. She was examining the map, a hard look on her face. Argent had known her for awhile. And he cared for her in a way he didn't think he ever would. She wasn't an easy person to like, but she was an easy person to follow. But Argent had to be honest with himself. He was kind of falling for her. She looked up, noticing that Argent was watching her. She didn't react.

"Thanks to our...gracious host, we have this map of Beacon, relatively current. Apparently, the perimeter is heavily gaurded, but mostly to keep things out of the rest of Vale, not the other way around. Our host has also assured us that any automated defenses will be inconsequential. But, that still leaves hunters. Argent?"

"I suggest we enter here. There is buildings up quite close to the perimeter, and beyond it is a pretty easy route to the main tower of Beacon." Argent pointed to the map, and ran his fingers through his suggested route.

"Seems logical. We will approach at nightfall, using the rooftops. Wear the standard black uniform, with White Fang masks and jackets over top. Now, let us talk a little about your abilities. In order for us to work together effectively, we need to know a little about our weapons and abilities."

"I'll go first," volunteered Argent. "Hello ladies, listen up, you see these? These are my boomsticks." Argent placed two large pistols on the table in front of him. Cost me a couple hundred to make the guns, 40 something more for the rounds, but blowing off Grimm heads: priceless."

"Spruce Bramble quotes? Really?" Penta rolled her eyes.

"Fine, you don't have to appreciate art. Anway, these are Umbra and Skia. They also turn into knives."

"Who would want a weapon that doesn't turn into something else?" commented Alberta.

"Exactly. Also, I can turn into a shadow and move really fast, for a short period of time."

"Thank you Argent." Ochre turned to Penta. "So, Penta, can we see your chainsword?"

"Sure." Penta picked up what looked like a case for a trombone, and removed a sword, with a rotating chain blade. The teeth looked pretty vicious. It was bronze and red in color, with a bird of prey on the hilt. There was a trigger on the handle. "Here she is. Apis Typhoon." Penta pushed down on the trigger, and there was a whir as the teeth began to move. She cut it off before it got too loud. "And it turns into a Gatling gun." She pushed a button, and the blade opened up, revealing a three barreled gun. The handle bent of, forming a more traditional gun handle, and another handle appear midway down the sword to aid in holding it steady and aiming.

"Good," answered Ochre. "And you use dust rounds?"

"Yes, usually earth rounds. They punch through cover and armor must better than other rounds. Simple, but effective." Ochre just nodded.

"Your semblance is overcharge? What does that mean?"

"I can become really powerful, but it drains my aura and leaves mt tired. I don't use it very often."

"Alright. So, Puntali, Red Stinger huh? Not very creative huh?"

"Hey, I wanted to introduce my weapon." Alberta pulled out two red gauntlets and placed them on her arms. The expanded and formed a pair of pincers, with a gun barrel between. "They are awesome. I can aim quite well, and these can grab enemies."

"I can see you did well as a markswoman. But, really, if you grab a Grimm with those, they will just drag you along. Do you have a semblance? Your file says you do, but doesn't say anything about it."

"Yeah, but it doesn't have a cool name."

"You're not that cool. Semblances don't need names. Only the Schnee's and people like Pyrrha Nikos have names for their semblances."

"Well, I can get bigger."

"That sounds really handy." Auric broke in, leaning non-nonchalantly against the door. Ochre shot him a dirty look.

"Like, how much bigger?"

"Like, thirty feet tall or so, and four or so times my weight."

"Now, I know why Terrier picked you. Good. I was initially suspicious, but you'll do."

"Is that her complimenting us?" asked Penta.

"That is about as high a compliment as she gives."

"What about you?" asked Alberta.

"That's easy. I'm just really really good." Ochre turned away, but suddenly she turned and raised her arm. A blast of red shot out, and hit Auric's hand, sending a gun flying. Suddenly, blast of green shot out of her boots, and whirlwinds formed around her feet. She shot across the room, and slammed Auric against the wall with her other hand, ice forming around it, freezing Auric's shoulder to the wall.

"Now I know. You knew right as I started to move what was going on."

"Don't ever pull a stunt like that again, senior hunter or not." She turned to the others. "Well, show's over. We leave at nightfall." Ochre turned and walked out onto the balcony, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Argent, is she going to be okay?" asked Alberta.

"Yes. She just has a lot of baggage. Give her time, and she'll grow on you."

"I can see she is growing on you," observed Penta.

"Cupric, shouldn't you be, doing maintenance on your sword or something?" Penta and Alberta both laughed a little, and then walked over to the apartment's kitchenette. "So, Auric, what do you think?"

"About what? Ochre? That anger, it will draw the Grimm, but I have a feeling she won't mind. She is skilled, beyond her years. A precognition semblance?"

"I don't think so, in the traditional sense. She can just sense aura, and Grimm too, somehow, predict what your about to do, sense danger. She's been training in martial arts since she was like, six. The training and semblance build on each other. Now, what do you think of this, situation? Do you think whoever hacked the system, broadcast that ultimatum, caused all this, will let Beacon go so easily?"

"Oh, even if Goodwitch can take back part of the school, Grimm will just keep coming. I don't know how much Terrier or the Headmaster have told you, but there are forces at work, you can only dream of. They won this battle, make no mistake. One headmaster dead, the CCT down, all the countries on the edge, Grimm attacks increasing in numbers not seen since the Great War. Whoever is behind this, they are playing the long game. And we are only a small part of the headmasters plan to stop them."

"Do you ever get tired being a pawn?"

"Oh, I'm a knight at least." Auric turned more serious. "There is more to the Headmasters than meet the eye. The rest is above our pay grades. Now, I need to prepare."

In the kitchen, Alberta raided some more snacks. She pulled out a box of cereal. Marshmallow Flakes...Pyrrha Nikos...I hope we don't face any hunters tonight."

"Why do you say that?" asked Penta, in the process of making herself some tea.

"I am sure whoever is in place, is going to be the best. I don't want to have to fight another hunter, our allies. And those Beacon students, were so, brutal. Do you think, they were right? That the Headmasters..."

"I'm sure whoever broadcasted that message has done far worse. But, it looked like they got a little carried away, putting it mildly. Also, a robot?"

"I know. You think that would be illegal. But, then, I guess no one has ever tried it before." Argent walked over.

"Ladies, remember, your part of an unofficial team, sneaking into an allies kingdom, spying on them. How exactly are hunters and huntresses supposed to act? I believe what we are doing will save lives. It will help all the kingdoms. But, if you continue to be a part of this, remember, sometime you will have to answer this question for yourself; how far are you willing to go?" There was a solemn silence, broken when the tea pot started whistling. Penta turned off the stove and got some tea. Alberta stared at Pyrrha's picture, and then set the box down.

"When did the world get so dark?"

As darkness fell across Vale, the construction teams left the area, and were replaced by soldiers and robots. The sound of cars and machinery was broken by gunfire, and occasionally screams, every so often. Auric was calmly loading several handguns, and then placed a couple dust grenades on the table.

"You get used to it. Grimm attacks occur almost every night, and sometimes during the day. They don't get far, usually."

"Here, White Fang masks and jackets. Hopefully they fit." Ochre pulled out five masks and jackets, the backs of which were adorned with the familiar and infamous emblem.

"And if they don't, run around the building and burn some calories until they do," suggested Argent.

"And if they are too big, like for our little friend Alberta here?" asked Penta.

"She'll grow into it."

"Um, I think there is blood on mine." Alberta looked up, a little disgusted and concerned.

"How do you think we got them?" replied Ochre. "Now, put them on. We need to move. Me and Argent will go first, Auric in the middle, and you two will bring up the rear. Keep your weapons sheathed until attacked. We use the rooftops, speed and stealth, avoid conflict with any Atlasian or Vale forces if at all possible. If attacked, try to get away more than fight. Once we get over the perimeter, I don't think they will follow us. That was your rousing speech."

"Ochre, don't you have any weapons?" asked Penta.

"Of course. I'm wearing it."

"Dust powered armor? Impressive work." commented Auric. He slid the mask of his face. "Let's go become worse than our enemies to show them how noble our cause is."

The five left the apartment and headed to the roof. After ensuring their short range communication was working right, they set off, gliding like shadows from rooftop to rooftop. The guards below glanced up at the occasional noise, but saw nothing. A few people may have heard some pattering on the roof, but it was too light to be a human. Soon, they were only a few buildings from the perimeter.

Ochre held up her hand. The group stopped. She motioned Alberta to come ahead. "You watch the tournament, right?"

"Yes..."

"DO you know anything about a team with a guy with a big green sword, rabbit faunus."

"Oh yeah, Team CFVY, upper class men. They only made it to the doubles round when a team from Mistral beat them this year."

"I prefer tea myself."

"Shut up Argent. Whose the leader?"

"The girl with the sunglasses, which you shouldn't mess with. Oh, and her purse turns into a massive..."

"Gatling gun! get down." Ochre tackled Alberta, and sent them flying across the roof. Green blasts shot out of her boots and propelled both of them over the peak of the roof. The two slid towards the edge, but managed to stop. Rounds streaked overhead, shattering the silence. Argent melted into shadow and suddenly materialized beside them. The other two were further back, and had time to get to cover. Auric went all the way to the ground, and drew one of his guns. Penta landed nearby, her sword still strapped to her back, covered by a black cloth.

"Fox, Yatsuhashi, we have White Fang in the city near the perimeter. They are southeast of your position." Coco nodded to Velvet, and the two headed towards the building were they had spotted the White Fang.


	4. Hunted in Shadows

Chapter 4

Hunted in Shadows

"We are going to be very exposed as soon as she rounds the corner. Follow me." Ochre jumped to the roof across the alley, and ran towards the peak of the roof. She looked over and saw the girl with sunglasses and the rabbit faunus heading down the street towards them. A short way down the other direction was a blockade, which was composed of rubble and some barricades.

Ochre reached onto her belt and grabbed a couple canisters. She shattered them in her hands, and then released the contents into the air. Red and green dust whirled around. She closed her eyes and pushed out with her hands. The dust whirled around into a firestorm, which slammed into the street right in front of the approaching huntresses.

Ochre turned back and realized only Penta had followed her. Auric grabbed the edge of the roof, and flipped skillfully onto it, soon joining the other too.

"Excellent use of dust. Not many can use raw dust so effectively." Ochre just grunted, and motioned them to follow her. The three vaulted off the roof and managed to get over the barrier and drop behind it, just as the their pursuers burst through the firestorm.

"Sunglasses and Rabbit think they have us pinned down, but we have cover, and they don't. Penta, return fire!"

"Got it." Penta pulled out her sword. "Apis, do your work," she whispered to it. Apis Typhoon transformed into gun mode at his master's command. Penta grabbed the handle, and then popped up over the rubble and let loose. The barrage didn't hit either, but it did force both of them back. Velvet dived behind a dumpster, and Coc just smashed through a store front window, and dropped back.

Coco popped out and let loose. Her larger Gatling gun raked the blockade, sending chunks of debris flying. Penta blind fired back, the heavy AP rounds ripping through the building, but missing completely.

"We can't stay here for long. Do you have a plan?" asked Auric.

"Shut up, and let me think."

"Um, Ochre, we may have a problem. It appears the rabbit faunus also has a Gatling gun. If I remember from the Vytal Festival, her name is Velvet."

"I don't care what her name is."

"I do love a good red velvet cupcake. Also, I have this velvet pillow cover I left in Vacuo..."

"Auric, offer advice, or shut up!" demanded Ochre.

"Alright." Auric pulled a grenade from off his belt. "One distraction, coming right up."

As soon as Ochre had yelled follow me, two hunters had burst in from the other side of the alley. One wielding a large green sword, and really really tall, the other covered in scars, with blades attached to his arms. Alberta was first in line. She charged towards the sword-wielding hunter. He swing his sword in a downward blow, his opponent a good two feet shorter. Alberta caught the sword in her gauntlet's pinchers, but the force drove her to her knees.

"Sorry you lost that match in the Vytal tournament Yatsu, I really am a big fan."

"I don't think we've known each other long enough to be using nicknames. I will do what I must to stop you."

"So will I." Alberta triggered the guns in her gauntlet. The muzzle flash and rounds slamming into his sword and armor caused him to jerk back. Alberta quickly jumped to her feet.

When Yatsuhashi engaged the short girl, Fox had flew past to engage to older looking White Fang member with the pistols. He didn't have any noticeable faunus traits, but that was a secondary factor. Auric opened fire at the approaching hunter. One pistols round exploded in bright flashes of light, while the other rounds crackled with electricity. The well armed shots threw off Fox's attack.

Another White Fang member with dual pistols materialized out of the shadows near the first, and opened fire. Fox blinked, and then charged the nearer White Fang. The other turned and leapt onto the roof. Coco and Velvet could take care of him.

Fox and Argent went at each other with in a blur of action. Both were pretty evenly matched and had similar fighting styles. Argent tried to stay at range, peppering his opponent with gunfire, and then shadow forming away. Fox was skilled enough to keep up, and since they were fighting in a maze of alleys, Argent was limited in mobility.

After a couple minutes of intense fighting, both were breathing hard, and had lost around half of their aura. The only time Argent had reloaded, Fox had closed in and gotten a few good hits. As a result, after emptying his second set of clips, Argent had transformed Umbra and Skia into knife form. Fox had come to another conclusion. Very few members of the White Fang had this level of skill. These were either the most elite members of the White Fang, or something else.

As Alberta backed away, Yatsu whirled and brought his sword down, sending a shockwave crashing down the ally. Alberta flipped backwards , and landed after the shockwave had subsided. Yatsu pushed the attack, getting in another swing. Alberta once again managed to block it, but the force sent her into the wall, pinning her there.

"Enough." Yatsu was caught by complete surprise as his opponent doubled in height, her head level with the building's gutters. Now, Alberta was three feet taller than her opponent. She pushed back, and Yatsu staggered back. Being a pretty experienced hunter, He recovered quickly, and began to attack again. Because Alberta's weight did not increase proportionally to her height, they were pretty evenly matched strength wise. The two began struggling, crashing into buildings and sending tiles crashing to the ground. Alberta was trying to use her pincers to grapple Yatsu, and he was trying to get get in a position to use his sword effectively.

Auric tossed the grenade in the air, and turned away. He fired over his shoulder, hitting the grenade at the peak of the arc, and exploded in a bright flash of light. Penta had been watching curiously, and so was blinded. Ochre had turned away, either from knowledge from what was about to happen, or her semblance alerting her.

The fox faunus barely waited for the flash to dissipate before leaping into the air. Green blasts shot from her boots, and she shot into the air. She grabbed and hurled a green dust vial downward, and a massive whirlwind formed, gathering dust and small debris. She dropped out of the chaos and sent one fist into the rabbit faunus's face. An explosion radiated from the blow, and her opponent staggered back.

Velvet tried to focus on her opponent. She saw a mane of red hair and pointy ears. She tried to form another weapon, but it was too late.

"I'm a fox, and your a rabbit. How do you think this is going to end?" Ochre stomped the ground right in front of Velvet, and a tornado of wind knocked Velvet upwards. Then Ochre placed her hands together, and red and white blasts shot out of her gloves, and sending Velvet flying backwards and upwards. Then, with a rather fantastic looking coup de grace, Ochre jumped up, and used a spinning kick to send her opponent straight down into the dumpster. The lid then slammed closed, at about the same time Ochre hit the ground again.

"Ouch. That girl does not mess around," commented Auric.

Ochre turned and looked across the street. The the remaining huntress was staring her down. She looked quite upset. She reached up and adjust her hat and then her sunglasses. She shook her head, and then opened fire. Ochre began running as rounds ripped through the air around her. She had been caught in the open by a very skilled huntress. Before the Gatling gun could shred her aura, the huntress stopped for a moment as her scroll began making all kinds of noises, and then exploded.

"What in the..." And then Ochre's fist slammed into her head, sending her glasses flying. She looked up, and saw the fox faunus slowly step on her sunglasses, a rather evil grin beneath her mask. "Oh no, you didn't." The gun disappeared and morphed back into a suitcase. Coco took a swing that would have taken out a building. But it never landed. Ochre was already somewhere else.

After dodging a few swings, Ochre landed a few punches of her own, driving Coco back into the wall. One gauntlet glowed white, and Ochre slammed it into Coco's shoulder. Ice rapidly formed around it. Before Coco could break free, Ochre executed a spinning high kick to Coco's head. The huntress slumped down, the ice that held her shattering with the kick's impact.

Meanwhile, Alberta realized that if the fight went on much longer, she would lose. Yatsu broke away and got in a good swing, and Alberta staggered back, the blow draining her aura considerably. And when at was gone, so would her height advantage.

"Here goes nothing." Alberta once again shocked her opponent as she shot up another twenty feet, as big as she could get. The giant girl grabbed the stunned hunter and hurled him over one building and into another. She then dropped down to normal size and ran back to where she had last seen the others.

A few blocks away, several Atlasian soldiers were enjoying some coffee, waiting for the next Grimm to wander over into the city. "Did you see that?"

"See what?"

"I think I saw a giant girl just pop up over there."

"How much coffee have you had? You mixing something special with it."

"Ha ha. I think I hear gunfire too. We had better check."

"I think I hear it too. We should radio whoever is over there, and see what is up."

Alberta found Ochre, Argent, and Fox just a block away. Fox and Argent were staring each other down, like gunfighters in a small Vacuo mining town. Ochre had walked up behind Fox,

"Stop playing around, we have to get moving," reprimanded the faunus.

"I'm not exactly playing dear," gasped Argent. Ochre just sighed. Fox turned and rushed the new challenger. Ochre, who had exerted herself relatively little, dodged his attacked and landed a solid punch, and then a kick, which send a tornado of wind that sent Fox flying through a factory window.

"Let's go, now." The three 'White Fang' rushed off. Fox moaned and staggered to his feet.

Velvet opened the lid of the dumpster and crawled out. She was just in time to see five figures in White Fang jackets vault over the fence. Her scroll began to sound an alarm. She opened it.

"Finally. We couldn't get in touch with your leader. What's going on?"

"Coco is...just now coming too. A group of White Fang were running across the rooftops. We tried to apprehend them, and they escaped into Beacon. They fought like hunters, and had the weapons to match. Not your standard White Fang."

"Are you alright? Back up is on its way."

"I think so." Velvet looked up to see Coco stagger to her feet. Yatsu was running up, panting hard, and Fox was behind him, winded, but mobile.

"I will alert Goodwitch and Specialist Schnee of this development. Please wait for further orders."

"Alright..."

On the other side of the fence, it was quiet. Ochre glances around and noticed some vegetation here and there. As the four moved towards Beacon, they found signs of battle, robot parts, broken weapons and armor pieces, and broken trees and crushed vegetation.

"There are some cameras monitoring this area," observed Auric. "I have disabled them."

"Good," Ochre answered.

"It's possible they might follow us, if they think we might be something special," commented Argent.

"I know. We clearly showed skill above run of the mill White Fang. The further we get into Grimm territory, the less likely they will bother. I had hoped to get through undiscovered, but so be it." Ochre turned and hurried on. She could sense the Grimm ahead, and she couldn't wait to lay into them.

"I doubt those hunters will be after us. You're an impressive fighter Ochre, one of the best students I have seen. And the way you just owned that rabbit faunus, the dumpster kick,an impressive finish." Auric nodded his head at Ochre.

"You kicked Velvet into a dumpster! How could you? She seemed so nice..." Alberta berated Ochre.

"How do you know that? You never met her. I didn't want to hurt any if them."

"That was pretty cold Ochre. Was the dumpster really necessary?" asked Argent.

"I wanted to contain her as quickly as possible. And form you Argent."

"I watched the Vytal Festival last year. She did seem really nice."

"Yeah, and those ears...they are pretty cute."

"Yeah sure, Penta, you too. Anything you want to add Auric? I have cute ears too." Ochre's fox ears twitched.

"I think her ears are cuter, to be honest."

"Thank you, Auric. And I was almost ready to tolerate you after your clever shot with the grenade...Beowolf!" Ochre spun around and fired a blast from a gauntlet, hitting a Beowolf that was leaping towards them. It staggered back, and Ochre hit it with her other gauntlet, freezing the head, and then kicking the head, shattering it. The Beowolf corpse fell to the ground, and began disintegrating.

A pack of Beowolves burst from all around, but were met with equal force. The five hunters easily dispatched the first wave. Several of the Beowolves had howled during the attack, and soon more joined in. Ochre let loose, and seemed to be gaining strength from the attack. A good many Beowolves fell underneath a fury of blows. More were drawn to the rage emanating from her.

Alberta fired with her gauntlets, sending Beowolves tumbling back with well placed shots. She had always showed a high level of marksmanship. As the battle drew on, she was forced to grow to her around ten feet, and use the gained strength to take on the Beowolves.

Of the other three, Argent was having the hardest time. His aura was danrgeously low, and he was exhausted from his fight with Fox. He fought on with determination with his knives. Penta, who was pretty well rested, cleaved through Grimm after Grimm with Apis Typhoon. Auric was at a disadvantage without his custom hunter weapon, but he showed skill using multiple types of dust rounds and his pistols to take down a good many.

Ochre's fury was broken when she heard Argent gasp in pain. She looked back and saw him fall to his knees, struggling to take out a Beowolf that should have been easy prey. Penta cleaved it in half, but Ochre could see she was tiring too. He glanced around, and saw that the wall to the Beacon campus was not far away. They just needed an opening.

"Get ready to move. I am going to try something." Ochre sent two savage kicks into a nearby Beowolf, and then pulled out some dust vials from a belt around her chest. She released the dust, concentrating, bending it to her will. It whirled around her, fighting as if it had a mind of its own. And then, a whirlwind formed around her, chunks of ice and balls of fire caught up in it. She pushed outwards, and the pack was driven back.

The Grimm fell back, yelping and howling as ice and fire ripped into them, searing some and freeing others. And the hunters ran for the wall. As they reached the wall, Ochre pushed outwards, and the whirlwind became an explosion, and the Grimm were dispersed for the moment. The four scrambled over the wall, and managed to get to the top.

They took a moment to relax. Ochre sank to the roof, and held her head in her hands. Using so much dust put a strain on her in ways she didn't understand. It did usually mean a splitting headache. Argent fell back, breathing harder than he had in a long time. Alberta caught him, and made sure he didn't topple off the wall. Penta switched Apis Typhoon to range mode, just in case there were more threats.

"This was harder than I expected, honestly." Auric reloaded his pistols. "I'm running a bit low on ammunition. I'm not sure we can go back easily though."

"Things are looking pretty grim, but give me a minute, and we'll figure something out," responded Ochre, rubbing her temples.

Alberta let out a little giggle, which turned into a laugh. "Ha, you said grim. That's pretty funny, especially for you Ochre."

"What? Did I say something funny?"

"Yes, you said..."

"Don't bother, she doesn't get puns, ever," interrupted Argent. Ochre just shrugged, and looked into Beacon.

"You see that building, right over there?"

"Yeah, I think it is one of the dormitories," answered Auric.

"Shade had maintenance stuff that runs under all the buildings. If we could get inside, could we get to the main tower, and the data you need?"

"I assume Beacon has a similar set up, so, yes. And though there would be some Grimm, I thinl it would be safer and stealthier than just going across the open area. But how will we get there?"

Ochre looked down and saw Grimm here and there. They were getting agitated, and would probably start attacking soon. Or alert Nevermores and Gryphons to their presence, which would be bad right now.

"We need a distraction. Do you think one of your grenades, if it went off way over there, would distract them?"

"Possibly. How would we get it there?"

"I can run over there and do it, and you can run and get inside. I'll meet up with you later."

"Vulpes, don't be silly. You can't let your anger at the Grimm cause you to run off, again." Argent paused for a moment. "Use your wind dust to fling the grenade way over there."

"You're right Argent." Ochre stood to her feet, and sucked in a deep breath. "Hand me a grenade." Ochre took the offered grenade, and pulled out the pin. She tossed it up, and then kicked it. A small sphere of wind shot out from the bottom of her boot, and took the grenade with it. It flew a few hundred meters, and then the grenade detonated with a very, very loud noise.

"Sonic grenade," added Auric. And the five leaped down and took off towards the building. They made it to the door without incident, but the door was locked. "Leave this to me." Auric put his hand over the lock, and in couple seconds, which seemed much longer, the door unlocked, and Auric opened it.

As they were about to enter, a Goliath that had decided not to run off towards the noise charged the group. Ochre turned to face it, but Penta beat her to it. Her aura glowed quite bright for a second, and then she moved with impossible speed. She shot up, and swing her sword so fast Ochre was pretty sure she felt a shockwave. The Goliath, large for even this type of Grimm, didn't even have a chance. Penta cleaved the head clean off. It toppled to ground at Ochre's feet, and began to disintegrate. The body stood their, as if shocked at what had happened, and then slumped to the ground. Penta landed nearby, breathing hard.

"And that is how we do it," gasped Penta. Ochre helped the other girl to her feet.

"That was...impressive." The two hurried into the building, and Auric closed the door behind them.

The unnamed team hurried down the empty halls of the dorm. Some of the doors were still shut. Most were open, some forced or broken. Some of the rooms looked nearly untouched, while others looked ransacked and damaged. Though whether it was Grimm or just messy students was not necessarily clear. After searching for a only a few minutes, Auric found a utility closet that had stairs leading into a basement.

"Well, here we go. Welcome to the basement!" Auric waved his arms wide.

"And I thought this mission was dark already," commented Argent.

"It looks darker than Ochre's soul," added Alberta.

"Quiet, I think something is down there." Ochre walked ahead, ignoring the comments. Argent and Alberta high fived quietly behind her. She turned a corner, right at the bottom of the stairs. There was a hallway, about five feet wide, but with pipes running long the ceiling. There was a flash of white and red whirling towards them.

Ochre slammed her hand on the ground, and ice formed around it, spreading across the floor. The Boarbatusk hit the ice and slammed into the wall. Before it could recover, Ochre grabbed a tusk with one hand, and jerked the Grimm back. She raised her other hand, now wreathed in flame, and slammed it down. An explosion blew out from the gauntlet, and took most of the Boarbatusk with it.

"Careful, they usually come in pairs." Ochre stood up and walked down the hallway. "Come on, my dark soul doesn't afford me much patience."


	5. Gathering Shadows

Chapter 5

Gathering Shadows

The sun was setting in Vacuo. As darkness spread, street lamps began to flicker on. Some went right back off again, leaving troubling stretches of darkness between lamps on narrow dark streets. The city looked like it had been planned by a drunk man, which was largely true. The city had grown rapidly, faster than authorities could plan it. After the Great War, the city had gone downhill. Large portions seemed undeveloped, and there were a lot of abandoned factories and warehouses.

But it was not all depressing. Some old factories and warehouses now held apartments, of unique design, and others were markets and shopping centers. Sure, not all the markets were strictly above board, but most people didn't care. Sure, it wasn't as organized and martial as Atlas, or as cosmopolitan as Vale, or as artistic and picturesque as Minstral, but it was home to many, and hard a charm all of its own.

In one old warehouse, a caravan of entertainers and merchants settled in, parking their vehicles, feeding animals, preparing dinner, or heading into town to find someplace to eat. Teenagers gathered at an arcade to blow off some steam, some of which would not be out of place at Shade Academy. Miners and mechanics wandered into bars to get drinks, and the bartenders hoped the fight would be at a minimal. Others with more nefarious intentions went to indulge in other vices, which were illegal, but only enforced in the most extreme circumstances.

And on one particular street, in a relatively nice part of town, a dog faunus parked his motorcycle, and walked towards a diner. It was nice enough, though the neon sign now said Julie's Din, meaning the e, which had long been flickering, had finally succumbed. And considering the r had been out for long enough people came to town looking for Julie's Dine, there was no doubt it would remain that way for some time.

Dr. Tobias Cairn Terrier, though few knew he was actually a doctor, and he rarely bothered to announce it. He was in fact a medical doctor, oddly enough, considering he didn't even teach the first aid class at Shade. He had his mind focused on other things now. He was also a Colonel in the Vacuo military, though this carried no weight at the moment, unless there was war. Tobias walked up to the diner, and nodded to a man in a large floppy broad brimmed hat, a common sight in Vacuo.

The man seemed to ignore the professor, and continued smoking, though how the cigarette stayed in his mouth while hanging that far out was a mystery. A bell on the door jingled as Tobias entered. He walked over to a certain booth, which he always sat at, and slid into the side facing away from the door. He reached down and ran his hand of the rip in the fake leather covering the seat, which had been there was long as he could remember, which was since he had been introduced to it as a second year at Shade.

He was soon approached by a young woman, a horse faunus who had managed to inherit both the teeth and tail of a horse, one of which was unfortunate, and the other not so much. Keeping the tail clean was quite a chore, but it was useful for swatting flies. Tobias had once entertained the thought that the girl just needed braces, but he decided that was an avenue not worth pursuing.

"What can I get you, Mr. Terrier?"

"You know, I have had a rough week, well, everyone has really. I'll take the turkey and pancakes, and keep the coffee coming."

"Of course, sir, coming right up."

The waitress disappeared into the kitchen. At the counter, the current Julie, a matronly woman with brown hair, was serving food and drinks to a collection of people sitting at the counter. The smell of oil, machinery, and just plain body odor was stifled by the enchanting smells of every type of unhealthy food a diner has, and rich coffee.

Tobias took a long draft of the coffee as soon as it arrived. It was as dark as his hair, and more bitter than a disgruntled Schnee employee. And he loved it that way. The hot drink nearly drowned the weight of responsibility. He couldn't imagine what the Headmaster as going though. But at least he could help bare the burden. He looked up and saw four familiar young women walk past him. They noticed him and talked among each other, and then all but one sat down at a corner booth. The remaining girl walked over to him. She had purple hair, and a purple and gray uniform. If his wife had been there, she would have told him the girl's hair was indigo, and her outfit was lavender. There were more colors in a cheap 24 crayon box than in Terrier's vocabulary.

"Professor Terrier?"

"Hello Nebula. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, considering the circumstances. Have you...heard anything?"

"Not yet. With the CCT down, it may be some time."

"Okay...I know we just got home from...all the chaos, but we are going to take a mission. Grimm attacks are increasing, and we want to help."

"If you believe your team is ready, then go ahead. We need your help. In these times more than ever, we all must do our part. Oh, I highly recommend the peach pie, but pretty much any pie here is worth its weight in dust."

"Alright. Thank you Professor. We came for milkshakes, but now, I think I'll get some pie too." Nebula began to walk away, but Terrier stopped her.

"Nebula, one final piece of advice..."

"Yes Professor?"

"Watch out for bodies of water, or electricity, especially the combination of the two."

Nebula stared back for a moment, trying to remain respectful. Terrier smiled back. Nebula rolled her eyes and rejoined her friends. The waitress delivered his food, and then went over to take Team NDGO orders. Terrier began to dig into his food, but was interrupted by another man joining him. The man from outside dropped heavily into the seat across from him.

He took off his hat and set it on the table. Underneath, a tangle of curly blonde hair and a bushy mustache framed a weathered face. He pulled out a fresh cigarette and and lit it with a fancy lighter. He had a checkered shirt of blues, and the hand of a abnormally large revolver hung from his waste. A rainbow scarf around his neck, though faded and stained with dirt, completed the look, and clashed with everything else. Few dared to ask why he wore the scarf, and those who knew why knew not to discuss it.

"I'll take a dark chocolate milkshake. Very very dark," the man said to the waitress as she passed. He turned to the professor. "Hello Tobias. It has been too long."

"Indeed, it has been Skye."

"In the days since the Faunus war ended, we have lived in a peaceful world. Things were changing for the better. But, Tobias, we live in times were history is being made. We are on the cusp of something big. I can feel in it my bones."

"I think that is just your old injuries telling you you need to retire."

"Always a quip." Skye leaned back in the booth. "Is the world going mad?"

"No doubt. But I don't know, not yet anyway."

"I'm sure you will know soon enough. Few things stay hidden from you for long."

"I hope your faith is not misplaced. So tell me, how is it, out in the wilds of Vacuo?"

"I'm glad you asked." Skye pulled out a map from his coat pocket, and unfolded it on the table in front of him. "The Grimm are more restless and numerous than I have ever seen." The hunter began pointing out different places on the map each marked by pencil markings and illegible writing. "Here, the hunter team fought off massive Beowolf swarms. They said at least hundreds. The huntress guarding Viridian Mine been having some Boarbatusk trouble. Usually found in pairs, right? A few settlers were gored, hunted down a pair, found another one, tracked down the second pair. Kept finding more, killed 17 pairs before the attacks stopped. Over here, this power plant provides support for several settlements, company has been sending out repair teams, several were wiped out. Hunters and militia in the area have been fighting Creeps and Deathstalkers nearly constantly trying to keep the power running."

Skye continued briefing Professor Terrier, and somewhere along the way, the waitress returned and delivered a milkshake and filled up the coffee. After awhile, Skye folded the map back up, and took a long drag of his milkshake, followed by a long drag of his cigarette. Terrier found it hard to believe the tastes were complimentary.

"I'll be sending more teams to help you. Including Team NDGO, sitting over there. They are quite skilled." Skye turned and looked over.

"Just make sure you send them somewhere inland, far away from water." Terrier gave a slight smile. "I was watching the festival as well."

"No doubt you were. The Grimm won't win so easily. Its the conspiracy that brought down Beacon that worries me."

"I assume the team is still in operation."

"Yes, I am pleased with this iteration. I sent them to Vale. Your old friend Forest is there."

"Forest...friend is such a strong word. I guess that means for now, Vacuo is deforested again."

"That joke has been run into the ground. I guess is has taken root quite deeply."

"If possible, let me know when they return."

"I will keep you in the loop as much as I can. You know how the Headmaster is. There is one thing I can tell you know. I have yet to receive confirmation, but it appears Ozpin was one of the causalities in Vale." Skye removed the cigarette from his mouth, and put it out with the tablecloth.

"That is disheartening news." The hunter pulled out another cigarette and lit it, and began smoking it as fast as he could.

"Skye, there is one more thing."

"Oh?"

"You must try the peach pie. Pretty sure it is the best in Remnant." Skye gave a slight chuckle.

"Well, then I guess I better get some."

May took a deep breath, and then squeezed the trigger. A sniper round shot out of the barrel, and whistled through the air before slamming into a Beowolf. The Grimm was spun around by the impact and lost its balance, rolling down the hill past Roy.

Roy nodded back at her, and then ran his saw blade down the Beowolf from should to tail before it could rise. He turned and finished of the one he had been fighting. May scanned across the battlefield, and saw Bronze about to be cut off by borrowing Creeps. She turned and calmly put a round through one's head. Another burst from the ground right behind Bronze, but she dropped it before it could completely rise from the ground.

Nolan shouted a warning, and motioned towards the opposite side of a dry creek bed. Two Deathstalkers burst over the edge and began their charge towards the young hunter. The dry bed acted as a border of sorts between a small trading post town and a large patch of Grimm filled desert. Eager to help out, Team BRNZ had volunteered escort a small caravan. Though the trip there had been uneventful, Grimm had attacked while they were there, and the hunters had taken the job.

The two Deathstalkers were on the smaller side, Deathstalker wise, but still quite dangerous, and well armored. May took aim, and put three quick precise shots into the loose ground beneath one of the Deathstalkers. A small avalanche of rocks and sand carried one to the bottom of the hill. It struggled to free itself. The other pressed the attack, heading right towards Nolan. May let off a quick shot, but it failed to penetrate the armor. She began lining up more careful shot.

Nolan dodged the flailing claws, and landed a blow with his cattle prod. Sparks danced along the arm of the Deathstalker, but it just got mad and Nolan was nearly skewered by the stinger. He staggered back, and was joined by his teammates. Roy sent his saws flying, but they bounced off the armor and just made the Grimm madder.

"We need a good plan," Bronze looked to his teammates.

"The underside is weaker," commented Roy. A shot slammed into the Grimm's eyes, and it jerked back in pain. "Or we could just let May shoot it."

"Just distract the claws while I slide underneath," ordered Bronze. The other two nodded and rushed ahead.

Nolan came in from one side, and jammed the prod into the arm of the beast. As it jerked in pain, and turned towards him, Roy rushed in from the other side and struck the other claw with his saws. The irate beast struck out at both, but they dodged out of the way. Too late, it realized the real threat.

Bronze ran at it, and then slid. The stinger struck the ground just behind him, sending up a plume of smoke. It reared up in pain, and began desperately turning this way and that, trying to get at the hunter beneath it. Bronze had initially reached up and left two long claw marks on the underbelly. Then he began slashing randomly, rolling around to avoid being trampled, and letting the Grimm get a clear shot.

Nolan and Roy rushed in and harassed the Grimm, making it nigh impossible to deal with the Bronze. Roy rushed in and a got a saw in a chink between two plates, and the Deathstalker chittered with fury. Finally, Bronze rolled from underneath, slashing a couple of the legs on the way out for good measure. The Deathstalker staggered back, mortally wounded. Nolan finished it off, driving his cattle prod into the head, sending electricity coursing through it until it dropped to the ground, and the tail went limp.

The other Deathstalker began to escape from the landslide. While her teammates were dealing with the other, May went after the other. With a few well aimed shots, she managed to take out some legs as they wiggled loose from the ground. She had gotten three when the Deathstalker burst loose. With eight legs, it could afford to lose a few legs.

It charged right at the rest of the team. Despite being tired, the three turned to face the crippled Grimm, weapons at the ready. May popped a few shots into its center of mass, but the armor prevented any real damage from being done. And then a spear flew out from near the bottom of the water town, and buried itself in the side of the Deathstalker. Then it exploded, and the Grimm collapsed, wreathed in flames.

A rider wearing a scarf rode out from underneath on a horse. She removed the scarf, and let loose long black, and rather curly, hair. She stopped right in front of the three hunters.

"I assume you are from Shade Academy?" she asked.

"Yes," answered Bronze. "We had that..."

"Never mind that. I need to speak the headmaster or Professor Terrier. Are they at Shade presently?"

"As far as I know."

"Alright. Thank you. Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes," said Bronze hesitantly.

"Watch out for hammers." And then she wrapped the scarf back around her head, and rode off towards Shade Academy.


	6. Fighting Shadows

Chapter 6

Fighting Shadows

Everything was dark. It was very cold, and it was very hard. Then she opened her eyes. Penta moaned and pulled herself up to a sitting position. She was laying on a concrete floor, her pack forming a makeshift pillow for her head.

"Finally awake I see." She looked over and saw Argent sitting and clean Umbra and Skia. "How are you feeling?"

"Cold, sore, but a little more rested. What happened?"

"Well, Vulpes was right, they do come in pairs. And the second one was very aggressive. Vulpes barely dodged his first pass, then he turned and nailed you. You took off and decided to knock a hole in a wall using your head. Took your aura out, stunned you."

"I kinda remember that...where is everyone else?"

"They went on ahead. Vulpes wanted an experienced member in both places, and I needed to rest a minute anyway. That fight with the one hunter took a lot out of me." Penta started a little as she heard a rustling sound above them. "There are Grimm everywhere."

"Are we safe? Nothing crazy happened when I was unconscious?"

"No, not after the rest went on ahead. We aren't projecting any negative emotions, and they aren't in the maintenance tunnels it seems. We just need to be careful when we move forward. How are you feeling?"

"Like I need to move around a bit. I think I'm ready to start catching up."

"Alright. Right this way Miss Cupric." Argent swept his arm out, motioning down the tunnel. Penta curtsied, kind of, and the two set off side by side down the maintenance passage.

"So Argent, how did you get mixed up in all this?" asked Penta.

"Much the same as you, me and Vulpes were the new people once. If it makes you feel any better, this mission is going better than our first mission. Perhaps another time I can tell you about it." Argent seemed rather reluctant on this last point.

"You don't need to. I don't want to dredge up bad memories."

"It would be good for you to hear it, but...not now."

"Where did you grow up?"

"In Vacuo, in the city. I had a very good childhood. Better than many. My mother was a scientist. Biology was her forte. She area of study was faunus, specifically. She helped create several vaccines for the faunus, for diseases humans already had vaccines that weren't compatible."

"She sounds really smart...I guess there aren't a lot of biologists in Vacuo."

"No, not many. And the scientists in the other kingdoms don't put much effort into helping the faunus, even less so than now. My father was a hunter, and a mechanic."

"There certainly are a lot of things in Vacuo that need fixing."

"Yeah, my father has no shortage of work, then or now. He doesn't go on missions much anymore, but he will fight if necessary. Before he and mother got married, he was a hunter first, and a mechanic second. I guess when they settled down with a kid, he took a more peaceful route."

"No doubt your father was a big influence on you becoming a hunter."

"Indeed he was. He would regale me with many stories, probably embellished, but then, maybe not. There are many amazing things in this world not fully understood. My family still lives there, my two younger brothers and parents. My siblings may not take the route of the hunter, but they certainly have the mechanical skills."

"Your mother still studies faunus?"

"Yes, though she doesn't travel as much as before. I think she is still working on a large project on genetics, trying to predict faunus traits"

"I'm not sure I understand."

"Well, this is very complicated, which is why she has been working on it for years, but basically, you know, your parents determine your natural hair and eye color, and, well everything, depending on your genes."

"Yeah, we did diagrams for that in school, sometime..."

"Well, she is doing the same thing, but for faunus, and what animal traits they exhibit. Apparently, it is far more complicated than eye or hair color. Enough about the Viperad'ombres. You said your family moved from Vale, when you were quite young?"

"Yes, then I was six. Some memories returned when I got back, but I really like Vacuo is more my home."

"You live in Vacuo proper?"

"Yeah, my family got a nice house, I think it used to be a warehouse, but it has been heavily remodeled. It is quite spacious, to say the least."

"You got a whole warehouse to yourself?"

"Yeah, my family is quite wealthy, certainly by Vacuo standards, even for Vale standards. I don't like to talk about it much."

"There is no shame in being well off, but it's nice you don't throw it around. What business is your family in?"

"Cars, moved here to partner with another guy, Amaryllis Motors, my dad is joint owner."

"Of course, one of the main car manufacturers for the Vacuo Grand Motorway. You really are quite humble."

"Yeah, I'm no Schnee. Of course, my family is poor compared to them."

"Ah, we would rather have you anyway."

"Awe, thanks."

"Wait, Cupric, I hear something."

"A lot of somethings. That is quite a racket."

"Sshh, young heiress, I will protect you from the beasts." Penta rolled her eyes, but let Argent slip ahead. He was far stealthier and was more experienced anyway. Argent found a ladder leading to a hatch in the floor. He slowly ascended, and slipped the hatch open a crack, and then shadowed out. Penta had looked away for a second, and when she looked up, he was gone, with nary a sound.

Argent materialized in a storage room, full of desks and other furniture. The hatch was actually in a closet, also full of random stuff. Argent weaved his way to the door. There was a small window in it, but it was covered in dust. He looked out, and saw several shadows flitting around. Shadows with red eyes. Argent could tell from his last shadow move that he was still not up to full power. He was rested though, so even if he couldn't use his semblance, he could take out a few Beowolves easily enough.

He turned to go and get Penta, when he heard a some clanging behind him. Penta was struggling to free herself from some desks she had ran into. Argent sighed a little. At least Vulpes wasn't here to berate the younger huntress.

"Sorry, Argent," whispered Penta.

"It alright, Miss Cupric," sighed Argent. He turned to the door, and opened in and ran out in one swift motion. The Beowolves had heard the noise, and were coming towards the door, but Argent's sudden dash threw them off. And then he was on top of them with his knives. For a fight, it was rather quiet. Penta walked out as Argent took down the last Beowolf. "And that is how you do it."

"Good job..." A very loud crash rang out through the room. A double door, down a short hallway behind the exploded. But it was just the door, it was wall around the door too. A Beringel and one Alberta Puntali slid into the room. Alberta had grown about as tall as she could without hitting the ceiling while walking. The Beringel did not like being pushed around, and it dug in. It still had a substantial weight and strength advantage.

The Grimm shoved upward, and slammed Alberta into the ceiling. It would have done so again, but she fired one of her gauntlets guns into his shoulder. The Grimm roared in pain, and both stepped back from the other. It took a swing at the huntress, and she blocked it with her gauntlet. She wasn't able to block the other one. The fist slammed into her face. A shock-wave rippled all over her body, and she felt her aura weaken significantly.

Argent could see Alberta was struggling. Sweat was running down her face, and she was breathing hard. After taking the hit, she just fell back against the wall. Though she had heard about them, she had never actually had to face a Beringel before, and it was far stronger than she anticipated. Perhaps rushing it had been a mistake, but she wanted to show Ochre she was valuable. If she could just grow larger, she could take it, but it was impossible in the confines of the basement.

The young huntress tried to prepare herself for the next series of blows. Then Argent attacked. He shadowed across the room, up into the air, and then dropped down, slamming both knives hilt deep in the lower neck of the Beringel. Alberta hadn't even noticed the other hunters, but it was a welcome sight. The Grimm of course was not happy at all. Its roars crashed through the confined halls of the dusty, equipment-littered tower basement.

The Grimm thrashed about, trying to free himself from the unwanted rider, but every struggle only caused pain to shoot through his shoulders. Argent hung on for all he was worth, unable to to move the knives without being sent flying. Penta ran towards them, sword drawn and ready, when several desks shot out the door behind her, and sent her flying in another direction. A humanoid shaped animated pile of desks slithered out of the classroom and formed. It pursued Penta, cutting her off from the other two.

The Beringel, hit with inspiration, jumped up. Just before it crushed the hunter against the ceiling, Argent leapt free. The Grimm slammed into the roof, cracking the ceiling, and sending a few small chunks of concrete raining down. It only succeeded in driving the knives deeper into its back. But Argent was now laying on the ground, unarmed. The Grimm turned to pound the human into mush, or perhaps rip him limb from limb.

Ochre just finished dropping an Ursa. It wasn't very large, but it was aggressive. Not nearly fast enough to bother her. She looked towards the large hole that Alberta had made with the Beringel. She hoped that the younger huntress knew what she was doing. She certainly had skill, but less experience. Ochre had to remind herself she was just really, really, good, and it was unfair to hold others to the same level. It was hard being so skilled sometimes. These thought would have been extremely snooty from most, but they were kind of true in this case. She turned back to Auric.

"How much longer?"

"The data is heavily corrupted by a virus. It will take time, even with my skills, to find and retrieve the data." Auric was leaning over a console in front of the bank whirring machines, the servers for the Beacon computer network. The still had power, as did most of Beacon, though there were large sections that didn't, due to damage to lines here and there. Ochre was a little surprised how large the room for the servers was. Maybe it had multiple purposes.

"What about for someone without your skills?"

"Impossible." There were more crashing and the roaring of Grimm.

"I better go finish this."

"Here, it's dangerous out there. Take this." Auric tossed Ochre a grenade, a very large one. "It is very explosive. Use it wisely." Ochre nodded and hurried off.

Dr. Terrier sat at his desk, staring at his coffee maker. He was in a bit of a quandary. Should he make up a pot of the more expensive, but more delicious Mistral brand of coffee, or go with the local, cheaper, but stronger Vacuo brand of coffee. It was a dilemma to be sure. And he would much rather wrestle with it than with other more important problems.

He pulled out his scroll, yet again, and scanned it. He didn't have to teach until after lunch on this particular day. The headmaster was personally seeing to the mission board, and there were plenty. Skye Prairie was not the only hunter or huntress bringing news of drastic increases in Grimm activity. He opened one of his desk drawers, and looked at a flask. Then he nodded his head and shut the drawer. It was not the time to indulge.

"Professor, you have a visitor," his secretary called, one of the students.

"Who is it?"

"Um, just a second." The intercom went off for a moment, and then she secretary returned. "A huntress named Dahlia Cordovan."

"Ah, send her in right away." A short time later, a women entered the office. She removed a dark red scarf from her head, and proceeded to shake the dust all over the floor. "Really, must you do that?"

"You know, I don't really like sand. Its so fine, and smooth, and it gets everywhere. Makes cleaning weapons very difficult."

"Quoting Gorge Ducat movies now, are we? And you don't even use a gun."

"True. But it does get everywhere." Dahlia shook her main of black curls, and then pulled a chair closer to the desk. She sat down, calmly removed her boots, and began dumping them out on the floor. Terrier sighed and began to prep the coffee maker for some expensive Mistral coffee. He had a feeling he would need it.

The huntress removed a dust black coat, shook it, and hung it on the corner of the chair. She unfastened a saber from her belt, and set it against the chair next to her. Then, she finally leaned back, and placed her stocking feet on Terrier's desk. She let out a contented sigh.

"Well, my dogs are barking, pardon the expression. Are you really making that artistic swill from Mistral?"

"I am. First, it has been a long few days, and I need the treat, and second, you can't stand it."

"It is good to see you again too Tobias." Dahlia pulled out a curved knife, with a pretty ornate handle. She began slowly running her fingers along the blade. Tobias knew it was a family heirloom, and also knew it was actually quite deadly. A couple Griffons, a King Taijitu, and many Beowolves had met their end by this knife's blade. "How is the school holding up?"

"Doing well. As for the rest of Remnant, I'm not so sure."

"I assume the missions on the board aren't the only ones you have going?"

"You know me well Dahlia. Need you have asked?"

"I suppose not. I have news for you. Two items I think not brought to your attention specifically. And the headmaster, if necessary."

"I'm listening. Oh, and if you were wondering, yes, your feet smell terrible. Your feet haven't left your boots for weeks, I'm sure, and every dog form here to Vale is barking because of the stench."

"Your welcome, sir. Now, along the coast between here and Vale, in the ruins of a small fishing village, I found some nice terrorists. White Fang actually. After some convincing, they let me have these." Dahlia reached into her shirt and pulled out a packet of paper. "You may find them interesting. The White Fang is in some interesting company."

"I know they were involved in the ruckus in Vale."

"I think the problem is more widespread. It isn't just the Vale branches resorting to desperate measures." Terrier began to flip through documents. They smelled of horse and sweat. He shook his head.

"I brought them to you first. I figured you should know."

"We make calls based on our best judgment. It is the responsibility of us to make the tough calls, and we will bare the guilt."

"But do they know that?"

"I made a mistake. I had hoped Adam wouldn't travel down such a road. But how could I forsee that his closest confidant would abandon him."

"I suppose if you couldn't see it, you shouldn't make the decision." Dahlia saw a look of pain cross Terrier's face. "I'm sorry. I would have made the same call. I think, that it would be worse if you hadn't acted. What Adam did, well, his path was chosen already."

"I know. But still, how far must we go to save the world? Atlas tries to control everything, we resort to dirty tactics, but really, can we stop this evil?"

"You sound like there is a central enemy out there...you know something?"

"There are forces in this world, legends, nightmares, that are far too real. Will you be ready, to stop them?"

"I'm in. For Vacuo, I'll fight till the last dog is hung."

"Well, that won't be me. You know, some people might consider it insensitive to use those expressions around me."

"Your not a dog, just a faunus with dog-like traits. I saw part of the Vytal Festival. Adam's lieutenant was there."

"I saw. I can't say I blame her." Terrier reached into his desk and took a swig from the flask inside. "I guess we will never know if she had stayed, if she could have changed things for the better."

"Maybe she still can. I could try to track her down. The White Fang weren't always terrorists. Sometimes, living in Vacuo, you forget how mistreated the faunus are elsewhere."

"True, there may be hope." Terrier paused for a moment. "For now, I have more pressing concerns. You said you had another piece of information?"

"Yes, something for your team to check into. Found some smugglers, not on good shape before I got there. Said something strange attacked them. A man of some sort, moved like lightning. Attacked their boat, sailing between Vale and a cove near Vacuo."

"A man attack their ship, in the middle of the ocean?"

"That is what they said. Got the coordinates. One more thing." Dahlia grabbed her coat and fiddled with an inner pocket before removing a bag. "A fishing trawler found this in the area around those same coordinates. Had this for awhile, but it wasn't important until now." Dahlia pulled out a piece of white metal and handed it to Terrier.

"Looks Atlesian. There are Atlas ships and aircraft that come here from time to time."

"True, but together, I thought it warranted further investigation. I pass it on to you and your resources to deal with."

"Thank you Dahlia. Now, please, get your feet off the desk. Your smell is ruining the coffee."

"Well, it will definitely make it stronger, and it could use all the help it can get." Dahlia reluctantly removed her feet from the desk. She began to lace her boots back up. "Tell you wife I said hello. Now, I am going back to the hotel to wash up, and get rid of some more sand." She flung her jacket and scarf over her arm, and walked out, leaving the door open, and several small piles of sand in his office, and the smell of sweaty feet mixed with coffee. Terrier poured himself a cup, and drained it, barely giving it any time to cool.


	7. Shadows of the Past

Chapter 7

Shadows of the Past

Ochre stepped out of the server room, and was greeted by chaos. Penta was desperately trying to fend off a pile of desks, which seemed determined to crush her. Argent was lying on the floor, a furious Beringel roaring over him, Alberta gasping against the wall. Ochre charged forward and leaped at the Beringel. One gauntlet glowed with fire, and the slammed into the side of the beast's head. The Grimm staggered back, flames licking around its head. Ochre reached down and helped Argent to his feet.

"I let you alone for a moment, and you lose any semblance of order." Alberta let out a small giggle."

"That was her way of saying 'I care about you, and am glad your alright'" expained Argent. "Also, she doesn't get puns, ever." The Beringel roared and beats its chest. Ochre was about to move, but was interrupted.

"I got this. I rushed in the first time, but this time, I know what to do." Alberta stepped forward, back to her normal size, a raised the Red Stingers, and opened fire. Well placed rounds punched into the Grimm, and it roared in pain. Alberta advanced, and when the Beringel charged, she rolled between its legs. Ochre nodded to Argent, pulled out the grenade, and rushed away.

Penta staggered back. Every blow from the behemoth sent shock-waves through her. Every desk she destroyed did little. The Geist just pressed the attack without hesitation. The fight had only lasted less than a minute, but it felt like far longer. She hadn't fully recovered from the earlier confrontations, and this was a far tougher opponent than she was used to facing. She thought about using her semblance, but if she did, and the Grimm survived, it would finish her easily.

She sidestepped another blow. The arm crashed to the floor, sending out a wave of dust from the ancient floor. Penta felt a blast of wind, and felt the vibration in the floor. The desks forming the end of the arm were bent up, but that only made it worse. Penta prepared to make an Overcharged attack, hoping to slice straight through the Geist, securely nestled in the chest of the monstrosity. And then Ochre arrived. She vaulted over the Geist's shoulder, propelled by her dust powered boots. She dropped something into one of the desks on the way over. She landed facing Penta.

"You might want to back away." The two began running down the hallway, but before than had gone far, the grenade exploded. The blast was deafening in the enclosed passages of the basement. Both girls were deafened. They could hear nothing but ringing for several seconds. Auric was right, it was quite the explosive. Desk pieces, metal and wood, rained down. The Geist was literally blown free from its creation.

Ochre raised her arms to fire, but Penta rushed past, and with several blows, cut the Geist apart. It let out an ear-curling shriek, and then dissipated. The two looked over and saw Alberta standing over the Beringel, the claws from one of her gauntlets embedded in the eyes of the Grimm. It began to disappate. Alberta looked over and gave them a tired smile, and a thumbs up with her other hand. Ochre had smile, just a little bit.

Argent walked over slowly, and retrieved his weapons. He shifted them back to pistol form, and slid them in their holsters. He then threw an arm over Alberta's shoulder.

"That was awesome, and you were your normally tiny self."

"Thanks...I'm not that tiny..."

"Yeah, you kind of are," Argent replied. Then he threw his other arm around Ochre, who reacted like someone had just placed a wet worm on her shoulder. She didn't throw it off though. Penta walked up on the other side, and put her arm around Ochre too. And the four began to walk back into the server room.

"You know, you guys are a good team. Perhaps the best I've worked with." And then Ochre tossed the arms off of her. "But get your hands off me. I don't do hugs." And she hurried ahead.

"So much for that bonding moment," remarked Penta.

"Still, that was pretty nice for her," added Alberta.

"You have no idea," sighed Argent. And the three followed their leader over to Auric. He was still fiddling over a consul. And then, as they reached him, he jumped up and pumped his fist in the air.

"Yes! I finally got it." Alberta jumped a little.

"So, I guess you finally succeeded there Auric?" questioned Ochre. He pulled his scroll out of the consul.

"Did you ever have a doubt? I think Professor Terrier will be quite pleased."

"So,what did you find?" asked Argent. "I think we are all curious, even Ochre."

"Well, I don't think we have the time to look at all of it. But, I picked up some footage from camera's around the main tower. It's a little corrupted, but I think this answers some questions." Auric opened his scroll and showed it to the others. "There isn't a lot of it, but, well, you need to see it."

The five gathered around the small screen. On it, footage began to play, but it was interrupted by static. The audio was just the din of battle of battle. On it, a woman with black hair and a red dress, armed with a bow, was fighting a girl with red hair, wearing armor, wielding a sword and shield.

"It's Pyrrha," stated Penta. "Whose the other woman?"

"I don't know, but I am pretty sure I saw her in one of the early round. Minstral, I think," answered Alberta.

"This footage is not very good. It must have been really corrupted," commented Ochre.

"It was, but some of it is Pyrrha's Polarity semblance. It messes with all electronics," Auric explained.

"I've never seen her use it like that, she just hurled all that debris..." Alberta voice turned to a gasp. Everyone was shocked.

"She's dead..." Ochre said. "Not even a body left."

"There's more," added Auric. A girl in red and black was on the roof. She yelled. There was a flash of silver, and then black. "All the feeds cut out then. She took out the dragon, or at least froze it. I don't know about the woman, but who could survive that. Though..."

"What was that? Her semblance?" asked Penta.

"I think I know." Argent spoke up. "I've heard legends..."

"Yes, you have just witnessed two legends, forgotten, relegated to just being children's stories, as reality. Silver eyed warriors, and the four maidens..."

"How do you know?" questioned Ochre.

"Well, she has silver eyes, and she can do that. As for the other, it is a guess, based on what Professor Terrier and the Headmaster have said. They know more, and I am not sure how much I can share. I don't know much more myself. If that is what that is, than we have no idea what forces are about to be unleashed."

"Then we have to get all the information back to Shade. We have a ship at the airfield, but it is all the way across the city."

"Vulpes, I don't know about everyone, but I think we are quite exhausted. I don't know if we can fight our way back out."

"You have fought hard today Argent. Anyone would be glad to have you fight alongside them."

"Ochre, are you going soft?" teased Penta.

"Hardly. I am inclined to agree with Argent."

"I am really low on ammo. I only have one light grenade left," Auric added.

"Alright. We go up, not all the way to the dragon, but to one of the landing pads around the tower. Maybe, we can drop back into the city from their. Using wind dust perhaps..."

"I can use my Gatling gun for propulsion, but only for a short distance. But it is _down_ into the city. Could work." Penta swapped Apis Typhoon to gun form, and checked her ammunition.

"It is risky, but possible. If there are any Atlas airships around, or any airship really, I might be able use my semblance to hack it."

"And if it is too far way Auric, we should be able to get its attention. We will still have to take it by force, in order to keep up the facade, and escape covertly," Argent added.

"It is decided then. Let's go." Ochre turned and left the server room through the other door.

"I guess things are looking up," joked Alberta. "Not even a groan?"

"I told you, she doesn't get puns," reminded Argent. Ochre let out a grunt, and motioned them urgently ahead. The five walked down the dim hallways. Many of the lights had been smashed, or simply gone out. Eventually they reached an elevator. The doors didn't not respond to Argent's button press. Ochre leaned forward to try to force them.

"Allow me." Auric stepped forward and placed his hand on the panel. The doors slid open. "If the elevator itself doesn't work, I may be able to help."

"Your semblance...what exactly can you do?" asked Alberta.

"Oh, you know, technology, computerized stuff, tends to do what I want, with a little nudge."

"Did you name your semblance?" asked Penta.

"Don't be silly. Only really famous and powerful people name their semblance. Anyone going up?" The five boarded the elevator. It still had power, but the control panel was damaged. It didn't matter with Auric around though. They rode it up as far as they could. Debris prevented them from going any further.

They excited the elevator, found a stairwell. On the next few floors, they found a few Grimm here and there, but they were easily dispatched. They managed to avoid using any more ammunition or taxing their semblances. If any really powerful or clever Grimm had attacked, they might not have made it. They reached the floor with the auxiliary airship pads in short order.

"Now we just need to find the exit to the pads," exclaimed Alberta.

"We have our exit." Ochre smashed a window, and climbed out onto a ledge. She then clambered over to the walkway to the pad with relative ease.

"Here goes nothing." Argent quickly followed. Alberta made the mistake of looking down. It was still dark out, though far closer to morning than when they had started. She could still see the glowing red eyes of numerous Grimm here and there, far below. They seemed oh so very small. She gritted her teeth, and followed Penta out. Auric was close behind.

The five hurried out to the landing pad. Ochre was about to turn to Auric to ask him about attracting an airhsip, when spotlights broke the night. It wasn't too dark, with the mass of lights from Vale, and the moon, shining down in all of its shattered glory, but they were still blinding. The five covered their eyes, trying to see what was going on.

A young woman, probably a few years older than the older students, dropped from the sky, and landed with grace. She wore the uniform of Atlas, with some reddish brown trim, and had two SMGs on her hips. Several Atlesian robots dropped around her, and focused their guns on the covert operatives.

"Don't move White Fang scum, and we will consider taking you in alive. You are under arrest by the Atlesian military, on behalf of the council of Vale."

"Oh, and who are you?" asked Ochre.

"Valkyrie Chestnut, specialist for the Atlas military. Why do you ask?"

"I like to know the name of the uppity 'specialists' I fight, before I put them in the ground."

"You are in now place to argue."

"Am I?" And at that moment, the several of the robots turned and opened up on each other. And then Ochre shot forward and landed a solid punch on Valkyrie, and sent her staggering backwards.

"For a restaurant called Julie's Din, it is rather quiet." Skye looked up and saw a woman with ling curly black hair, a dark red scarf hanging in folds around her neck, slide into the booth across from him. "Still drinking those dark chocolate milkshakes I see."

"Of course." Skye pulled out a flask and slowly poured a bit of the contents into his milkshake, about halfway empty. "And a little something extra. So Dahlia, did you come to spread your dust here as well?"

"I don't know if you have noticed, but most of Vacuo is sand, and the rest is just as gritty." A waitress came up, a human this time. "I'll take some cola, and keep it coming. And a burger and fries."

"Of course miss."

"I assume you have talked to Terrier already?'

"Of course." Dahlia sank back thoughtfully on the bench. "I remember when the world was simple, punching thugs, blowing Grimm heads off, stabbing terrorists...the inmates are running the asylum."

"Perhaps. The younger god has come to wreak his havoc, and we men, we are his creation as well. Can this tide of evil...can it even be stopped?"

"I don't know if I believe on the legends, but I think I am coming around. Don't give up hope yet old man." Dahlia took the offered drink from the waitress. "Thank you." And then she drained about half of it. "If we both hadn't been recruited by Terrier, we might never have been friends."

"Yet one more thing to blame Terrier for," grumbled Skye, taking a long sip of his milkshake.

"Do you ever question what you have done? On missions?" asked Dahlia.

"Never during the mission...but in those quiet nights, lonely evenings on the trail, all the time. We hunters of Vacuo, we are often judge, jury, and executioner. How can we not make a mistake. Was there a particular mission you were thinking about?"

"I was talking to Terrier, about that time with the White Fang. All that effort, all that death, and the White Fang is even worse..."

"You did your best. The White Fang...I do not doubt their mission, or their need. Faunus are treated horribly in many places. But really, how easy it is to become worse than the thing you fight. The White Fang forces cooperation, it demands not just equal rights, but special rights. They don't change minds, foster better relations, they just demand what they want. And what about when faunus and humans are on equal footing? Will the White Fang just dissolve?"

"I agree. But, can it be changed?"

"If it can be, it must be from the inside. Not all sects of the White Fang are corrupt."

"Yes, well the 99% make the other 1% look bad. Maybe we didn't do enough. We should have taken Adam out too, and maybe the rest of the leadership. Let the whole organization collapse. And let a new one form, try again."

"It wouldn't change anything. Could make it worse. I think, what you did, it did help. But there are other forces at work. White Fang forces were seen aiding in the attacks in Vale. They acquired top of the line Atlas weaponry."

"I know. There is a conspiracy. And after this team Terrier sent comes back, we may know more. And the Headmaster, he knows more. This hamburger is delicious, by the way. An the fries are amazing."

"Glad you like the food. I hear the pie here is divine."

"I have too. You know what, tomorrow, we should go hunting. Let's brutalize some Grimm, relive the simpler times, and help everyone out."

"Sounds great. You may be younger, but I doubt even you can keep up."

"Keep adding stiff to your shakes, and you will be too busy hurling to fight Grimm. You should probably hit the hay early old-timer." The two shared a good laugh, and a good many more drinks, swapped some tales, reminisced about happier times, until it was very late. They went their separate ways, the last to leave the diner, promising to meet early to go hunting. It was a good evening. It was almost like old times. But those shadows were fading, and new shadows emerged. Shadows with red eyes.


	8. Shadows on the Run

Chapter 8

Shadows on the Run

Valkyrie stumbled back and rubbed her chin. Then the situation got worse. Argent shadowed behind one of them and opened fire on one of the bots at close range. Penta slashed through another one. Alberta lifted her gauntlets skyward and opened up. Two more bots landed on the platform and then fell over, smoke and sparks shooting from several holes in their heads.

Ochre changed in to press the attack. She kicked out and a blast of wind hit the Atlesian huntress, sending her flying backwards. Valkyrie sat down hard. And then she disappeared. Ochre stepped back, hands raised in preparation. Her senses tingled on her left. She barely managed to get her arm up before a savage kick crashed into her. She spun around, trying to find a way to track the elusive target. Her sense tingled again, but before she could react, a barrage of rounds slammed into her back, sending her staggering forward onto her knees.

"Vulpes!" Argent started to head towards her when a a fusillade of rounds ripped across the platform. Several Atlesian gunships opened up on the platform. The party was scattered. Argent was forced to shadow again to escape.

Ochre spun and let loose a blast of fire and ice from her gauntlets. She turned slowly. The airships were ignoring her, clearly to prevent friendly fire. She flipped back, and the ground were she had just been cracked a little. Ochre felt a whoosh of wind from something impacting the ground. She stood up, and slid into a fighting stance, and took a deep breath. Now this was a fight.

The faunus couldn't see her opponent anyway, so she closed her eyes, and focused on her opponent's semblance. The barrage of gunfire around her faded. The whir of Penta's Gatling gun became quiet. The thud of dust rounds slamming into the remains of the tower, the bits of metal and plaster filling the air, it was gone for a moment. And then, there it was, the cold blue aura of Valkyrie's aura. It lunged forward, both arms swinging forward.

She jumped skyward, willing the dust in her boots to activate, a whirl of green around her feet. Ochre shot out of the way, dodging the attack with grace. She landed several meters away, and her leg gave out. She opened her eyes and looked down. There was a slash in the leg of her armor. Valkyrie appeared in front of her, twin shorts swords at the ready.

"Not so confident now are you White Fang scum."

"Oh, I'm just getting started." The Atlesian smiled, and then vanished from sight again. Ochre focused again, but left her eyes open this time. It was much easier to lock on to Valkyrie this time. As the specialist closed in for another strike, Ochre stepped back and turned, opening her palm. It glowed red, and just before the swords could hit their mark, a blast of red fire sent the Atlesian flying.

She hit the ground and rolled, becoming visible in the process. Valkyrie stood shakily to her feet, black scorch marks on the front of her uniform.

"Now, both of our aura's are depleted." Ochre smiled under her mask. "Long live the White Fang."

"Not today. I'm going to take you down, for good." Valkyrie managed to disappear again, but it seemed to take much more effort. Ochre closed her eyes, the rush of a real challenging fight coursing through her. This was almost as awesome as the time she had been trapped in a Taijitu nest alone. The Atlesian lunged forward, with speed and fury. It was almost too easy.

Ochre turned sideways, grabbed Valkyrie's arm as it went past, and used her own momentum to spin her around. And then, Valkyrie gasped in shock and pain as the faunus drove her own sword into her chest. The Atlesian staggered back slowly, turning to face her opponent. She looked up at the masked face, but could see nothing.

"By the way, I'm not actually White Fang," Ochre whispered, just loud enough for Valkyrie to hear. And then the she jumped and performed a beautiful spinning kick. The boot of the power suit slammed into the hilt of the sword, driving it all the way to the cross-guard, And then the Atlesian specialist staggered back and fell from the platform, plunging to the ground below.

Ochre was stepping back, and noticed a black shadow sweep across the landing platform. A Griffon slammed into one of the gunships, sending it spinning away. The pilots struggled to keep the gunship level, as the two twisted away. Another Griffon nearly slammed into it, threatening to rip one of the engines off.

"Ochre, get over here!" shouted Alberta, motioning from the door of a gunship. A slightly more bedraggled huntress held out her arm. Ochre charged across the platform vaulting over destroyed Atlesian robots. As she reached the gunship, two stunned Atlesian soldiers flew out and crashed into the ground. Without missing a beat, she used them as a stepping stool to leap into the ascending gunship.

Auric was sitting in the pilot's seat, hands on the controls. Panels and displays on the copilot's side blinked and flickered of their own accord. The gunship began to slowly turn away. It was a rather maneuverable craft, but it seemed sluggish as gunfire from another gunship pelted the side of their aircraft, The other gunship began to slowly roll towards them, one wing and engine tore loose by a Griffin, which disintegrated as the engine and it embraced with violent fury.

A Griffon followed the crippled gunship to the ground, doing a bit more damage to the CCT tower on the way down. The other gunship which had been targeting stopped firing at them, and began to focus on the Grimm. A flock of Griffons swarmed from the balconies and buttresses of the tower, drawn by the noise of battle.

Several more gunships closed in, but they were far more interested in the Griffons. "I believe we should take this opportunity to leave," called Auric from the front.

"And I was just starting to have fun," commented Argent. He looked back and saw Ochre sitting down in the back of the ship, not even on one of the benches. She was staring at the injury on her leg, but her brain did not register what her eyes observed. "Ochre?" He walked over and sat down next to her. She didn't look at him.

"We have a bit of a problem." Penta was standing at the door, raising Tyhoon, pulling the trigger tight. A barrage of rounds tore from the barrels, ripping into the Grimm. The armor piercing rounds ripped through the Griffon easily, some going beyond and hitting more Grimm beyond. The gunship suddenly lurched as an abnormally large Griffon slammed into the roof of the gunship. Alberta, who was standing at the opposite door from Penta lost her balance and fell to the floor. She managed to use one gauntlet to grab onto a handle inside the door as she slid out the door.

"Ochre, we need you." Argent stepped over to Alberta and began to pull he back inside. And then things began to get worse. The gunship lurched wildly once more as another Griffon slammed into one of the engines. A loud clang echoed from above as the Griffon above them tried to bite into the roof. Auric was totally involved in flying the gunship. He didn't even notice when some of Penta's rounds slammed into the copilot's console and the craft's windshield.

"Awwww," cried Penta, as she lurched back, sitting down hard, She managed to gain control of her weapon again, and pull herself to her feet. The massive lurch had caused even more severe problems on the other side of the craft, Argent was sent flying out, but managed to grab onto Alberta, leaving him flailing in the wind.

If he had been well-rested, he should have been able to shadow back into the gunship. However, after using it extensively previously, he was afraid he couldn't manage it. His unfortunate situation mae the odds even longer. He would probably just end up phasing himself into the wall of the gunship, and just falling to his death.

"How strong are your gauntlets?" yelled Argent over the engines and sound of battle.

"Nearly indestructible, but I think my arm is slipping out," Alberta called back, the strain clear in her voice. Argent was sure she was nearly on the verge of tears. Penta looked back at Ochre, and then at the rest of crew. A Griffon was still attacking the wing, and the roof was beginning to cave in under the force from above. Penta prepared to use her semblance, but Ochre stepped up and put her hand on Penta's shoulder. She pointed at the Griffon diving at the wing again, and Penta nodded.

There was a reason Ochre was the leader. There was a reason all her teachers called her driven. She moved forward and pulled Alberta and Argent into the gunship with ease. And then she jump out the door. Her boots glowed green, and tornadoes of emerald dust whirled about them. She shot upward above the gunship. Alberta looked out the windshield and gasped as a massive Griffon rolled toppled from the roof, ad plunged away, leaving a stream of shadow as it disintegrated.

"And there is the Ochre we know and tolerate," commented Argent.

"Remind me not to get on her bad side." added Alberta.

"Too late, I don't have a good side." Ochre stepped passed them and grabbed Auric's shoulder. "Get us out of here. I'll make sure no one follows."

Auric was about to say something like "What do you think I've been doing?" or "Sorry, I thought you wanted to tour the city," but the tone of her voice convinced him otherwise. He headed the gunship out towards the western sea as fast it it would go.

Ochre reached into her belt and withdrew several canisters of dust. She hurled them out, and bent the dust to her will, forming a whirling storm of fire, wind, and ice. The pursuing Griffons were swept away in the maelstrom. The gunship itself was hurled ahead. The sounds of battle began to fade. Ochre sank back into the gunship, and slumped to the floor.

"Can they track us using the gunship?" Argent asked Auric.

"After we are out away from Vale, out in the ocean somewhere, they will lose the signal. Then, we can head back to Vacuo."

"Alright. What a handy semblance." Argent went back and sat down next to Ochre, who was slowly bandaging her leg, the same lost look back in her eyes. Penta and Alberta swung the doors shut, and the rush of wind was replaced by the dull whir of the gunship's engines. Alberta sent up and sat down in the copilot's seat, and looked over the damaged console. After a few minutes of examination, she leaned back in the chair. Soon, there was the soft sound of her snoring.

Penta sat down on a bench in the back of the gunship, and began to tinker and clean her weapon. Apis Typhoon had been busy, and had taken a bit of damage slashing and cutting through all manner of materials. Penta had not felt this drained since she had been left in the middle of the desert surrounded by Grimm. Getting into Shade Academy was not an easy task.

Near the front, Argent sat next to Ochre in silence for some time. He leaned back against the gunship's bulkhead, and sighed. Everyone had removed their White Fang masks at this point, except Ochre. After finishing bandaging her leg, and fiddling with the bandage for a bit, she finally reached up and pulled the mask away. Her ears twitched as she pulled the hood over them. She leaned forward, and rubbed her hands through her mane of red hair, and found some fascination with the dull floor between her legs.

"Do you know what my greatest fault is?" she said as if she was talking to herself. After a few moments, Argent leaned forward and answered.

"Well, it could be you pushing away everyone who tries to care for you. Your total lack of tact or people skills..." He paused for a moment. "But truly, I think it is your recklessness, your drive that carries you far beyond what you are able."

"Yes. My hatred for Grimm, at the world, leads to this self-destructive drive. I killed that specialist in the rush of battle, but I didn't need to. I think...I feel guilty. That I my have finally gone that step to far." She turned and faced Argent. "Don't let me slip into that abyss."

"Don't worry. You haven't gotten rid of me yet. I'm here for you."

"Thanks. Enough sentimentality." Ochre leaned back against the bulkhead, and closed her eyes. Argent leaned back as well. He was a bit surprised when Ochre put her head on his shoulder. And then, she almost...snuggled up to him. Now he really was surprised. Sleeping peacefully there, she was almost adorable. A word he never thought would really apply to Ochre. He closed his eyes, and sleep soon followed.

Tobias had been waiting when the gunship landed. It dropped down behind the school, settling down in a clear area behind some decrepit buildings, left abandoned long ago, though the school did use them for urban training. Now, why would hunters in a largely wilderness kingdom need extensive urban training? Everyone knew the answer, but no one wanted to say it aloud.

A messenger bird from one of Shade's coastal observers had arrived around a hour before the gunship. It wasn't an actual bird, but a robotic drone, developed as a long range communication system should the CCT go down. It was also impossible to intercept unlike wireless communications, and more flexible than wired methods.

The crew had been worn out, especially Auric, who had been flying straight for hours, though apparently Alberta had taken over for awhile, and proved pretty good at it. Despite his desire to see the results of of their mission right away, he let them disperse to their quarters. Auric promised to come up and give him a debrief after crashing for a few hours.

True to his words, around six hours later, Auric joined Terrier in his office. He then dug into the tray of sandwiches with frightening gusto. After devouring about a pig's worth of cold-cuts and a loaf of bread, Auric handed over his scroll.

"You could have just given this to me before you ate."

"True, but I didn't want to have food in my mouth while giving my report." Terrier sighed, and connected to scroll to his desk. Soon, an image of the security camera's was projected in front of them.

"This is not very good quality," commented the faunus.

"You're lucky you got that. If it wasn't for my unique talents, we would be watching static." Terrier nodded, and watched the entire scene.

"Well, it seems there are more questions than answers. We need to find out more about that woman, and the silver-eyed warrior. I assume you have more observations?"

"Yes." Auric gave a description of what had happened in Vale, from what he could see, and the current situation there. Terrier nodded, and took down notes. In the end, he was less worried about a lot of things, but more concerned about others. He then reached into his desk and removed a sealed envelope.

"The new team seems to have performed well, Once they have recuperated, I have a new mission for them." Terrier handed the envelope to Auric. "See that Ochre and Argent see this, and provide whatever support you can to them. I have other responsibilities to attend to, due to the unique circumstances of our day."

"Unique Circumstances...you always were a bit overly tactful. I'll see that they get it." Auric grabbed a sandwich, or two, on the way out. Terrier shook his head, and started another pot of coffee. It was going to be a long...season.

"Humph..." Ironwood slammed a piece of paper on the desk.

"Is there a problem James?" asked the smug man sitting across from him. Jacques Schnee looked as his scroll.

"Oh, just some White Fang terrorists wrecking havoc and escaping unscathed."

"Atlas's military is getting sloppy. Remnant has tolerated those faunus rabble-rousers far too long. Now, what did you wish to discuss?"

"In a hurry Jacques? Aren't you concerned about your daughter?"

"I have a meeting with some business partners to discuss important business." James raised an eyebrow. "For the betterment of Atlas, and all of Remnant" the Schnee patriarch added. This did not comfort General Ironwood much, but he knew Jacques would not divulge any more information unless he wanted to.

"Well then, don't let me take any more of your valuable time."


End file.
